"Get back here," Sir Gilbert droned at me.
I was so genuinely scared. I was witnessing some stuff that a young tiger only has nightmares about, and this was all in one day. I couldn't bear seeing a headless Sir Gilbert chasing me.
"I don't understand! You're my Guardian Fury Seeker!" I screeched, starting to realize that tears were flowing from my eyes. Then it hit me who he really was. Not what I had thought he was.
"I am Sir ArcticCat, the first of the ArcticCats, and I was not corrupted by my great brother Knight FieryCat to see the phantoms that I now control be ripped apart by The Hope!"
I was having a nightmare for sure. I tried to think about that, but I knew that this was real, and I watched in horror as Sir Gilbert's body melted off to reveal a hideous tiger with a ragged blanket and an Indian cap.
I did what I knew I needed to do. I hopped across the bridge, panicking as I glided over fallen logs and made my way back into Sarepia Forest. And then I realized how to get rid of this traitor.
I dove into the crumpled Flag Shop. The phantom had left now, so I just hid in an unexpected place and waited. I didn't hear my enemy coming, like all ArcticCats, but I knew that he knew all my moves, and that I had to do something quick. I peered out of my hole to see Sir ArcticCat dash back to Mt. Shiveer, and I ran the other way, fleeing over leaves and twigs. I tripped on a tree root, but I picked myself back up and found a giant clearing marked as 'The Ruins of the Temple of Zios.' I saw phantoms absolutely nowhere except for on the lab, and I skittered dangerously into the clearing. Seeing all of the bricks trashed on the ground, I stuck to climbing the trees, and I landed straight on the roof of the Chamber of Knowledge.
I carved a hole in the roof, moving ever so stealthily into it. I braced myself for the fall and landed on all four feet inside the rusty, dim room.
I love being a cat, I thought to myself right before collapsing when seeing all the books. I just had to read them all, because they were so interesting. But I settled on 'The History of ArcticCats' so I would know the truth.
'Sir ArcticCat was the first of the ArcticCats, and was the kindest ruler possible. He controlled the land in Jamaa, while his evil brother Knight FieryCat controlled the seas and skies. One day, when deciding to make an empire in their land, there became a debate on what it would be called. Knight FieryCat demanded he take the town and the world for himself, but Sir ArcticCat denied and what began was a huge war. Eventually he lost, was turned to stone, then reanimated and fell under his evil brother's spell. It is unknown when he will return.'
Well, that book was old and worthless and did not help at all.
Oh man, I'm cornered right now.
By you-know-who.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Chapter 2: My Meeps Smell like Hard-Boiled Eggs
The ice-encased plesiosaur split in half and the ice parted to reveal a small chamber full of cowering animals. Most of them were bundled in blankets and playing chess, while others were making escape plans.
As I walked by, I could not help but notice one golden-colored wolf eyeing me. She looked young, energetic, brave, and adventurous, just like me.
"Your meeps smell like hard-boiled eggs," she roared.
I couldn't help but laugh and then smack her for insulting me. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's The Hope's code language. That's a sentence in code. I just said you were cool and I wanted to be friends."
"Okay. Sure, that's fine with me, since I'm an orphan now and I have nobody."
"I lost my parents too! My name's Aureis."
"I'm Silver," I said, shaking her paw politely. "Let's tell each other adventure stories!"
"Okay," Aureis agreed. "So, there was a lightning storm outside. Nothing but lightning. No rain, no thunder, just lightning. It struck and shook the streets like they were going to explode. So my parents and I took the chance to escape and run during the storm. Not a bad idea, right? Well, we were running to Crystal Sands, but the beach was on fire, so my parents made a dumb decision and dove into the Juice Hut, which caught on fire the second they dashed in. I leapt out and saved myself after their urge, and they died in the fire. You know what?"
"What?" I asked, extremely interested.
"The lightning storm and the fire were both caused by phantoms to kill my parents. We're the second most wanted by the phantoms. We come right after the ArcticCat family."
"I'm in that family," I cheered.
"Cool," Aureis agreed. "So Silver, do you like Darts? We stick a raccoon's tail to the board, spin it, and try to hit the middle of the tail."
"Sounds fun," I lied. It actually sounded kind of dangerous to the poor raccoon, but whatever.
Before we could start, though, Sir Gilbert and five other well-dressed animals stood up.
"I am Peck," the rabbit said.
"I am Liza," the panda continued.
"I am Greely, and this runt of a koala is Cosmo," the wolf hissed.
"And of course, I'm Graham the monkey," the monkey rasped.
Sir Gilbert was silencing the crowd so the others could speak. "The shamans have been retrieved! Now it is time for phase 2 of our plan! Greely and I will ambush the phantom fortress in Zios, while Peck brings volunteer fighters for the ambush! Liza will sneak around Jamaa and release the slaves, runaways and resistors while the phantoms are trapped and fighting at their lair. Cosmo and Graham, you will be scouts. Help fight if it is necessary."
"How do we fight phantoms?" Graham pondered.
"We don't fight them exactly. Cosmo traps them in his trapper-plants, and then we release them while they're stunned and kill them with our staffs."
"Okay," Peck sighed. "Can I fight if necessary?"
"Yes," Sir Gilbert answered.
"Alright then, let's move out!" Greely howled, eyeing Aureis while Sir Gilbert eyed me.
Something was very weird here.
What was even weirder was that this battle was going to end very quickly.
I could feel it.
Everybody here was going to die except for Aureis and I.
How did I know that?
I'm not sure, but there was something weird going on... and I needed to find out.
Like, right now.
So I did what needed to be done.
I padded away quietly and unnoticed, dodging leaves and twigs and permafrost and ice. I was halfway to the bridge when I felt something on my neck, and I turned around to see Sir Gilbert.
"You're not going anywhere, young ArcticCat," he growled in an odd, buzzy voice, and then his face melted off.
I wanted to scream, but I knew I couldn't. I bit his paw as hard as I could, scrabbled for a pawhold on the ground, and took off for the bridge. I knew who was chasing me.
But... why?
Why would he do this to me... when he was protecting me all his life?
As I walked by, I could not help but notice one golden-colored wolf eyeing me. She looked young, energetic, brave, and adventurous, just like me.
"Your meeps smell like hard-boiled eggs," she roared.
I couldn't help but laugh and then smack her for insulting me. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's The Hope's code language. That's a sentence in code. I just said you were cool and I wanted to be friends."
"Okay. Sure, that's fine with me, since I'm an orphan now and I have nobody."
"I lost my parents too! My name's Aureis."
"I'm Silver," I said, shaking her paw politely. "Let's tell each other adventure stories!"
"Okay," Aureis agreed. "So, there was a lightning storm outside. Nothing but lightning. No rain, no thunder, just lightning. It struck and shook the streets like they were going to explode. So my parents and I took the chance to escape and run during the storm. Not a bad idea, right? Well, we were running to Crystal Sands, but the beach was on fire, so my parents made a dumb decision and dove into the Juice Hut, which caught on fire the second they dashed in. I leapt out and saved myself after their urge, and they died in the fire. You know what?"
"What?" I asked, extremely interested.
"The lightning storm and the fire were both caused by phantoms to kill my parents. We're the second most wanted by the phantoms. We come right after the ArcticCat family."
"I'm in that family," I cheered.
"Cool," Aureis agreed. "So Silver, do you like Darts? We stick a raccoon's tail to the board, spin it, and try to hit the middle of the tail."
"Sounds fun," I lied. It actually sounded kind of dangerous to the poor raccoon, but whatever.
Before we could start, though, Sir Gilbert and five other well-dressed animals stood up.
"I am Peck," the rabbit said.
"I am Liza," the panda continued.
"I am Greely, and this runt of a koala is Cosmo," the wolf hissed.
"And of course, I'm Graham the monkey," the monkey rasped.
Sir Gilbert was silencing the crowd so the others could speak. "The shamans have been retrieved! Now it is time for phase 2 of our plan! Greely and I will ambush the phantom fortress in Zios, while Peck brings volunteer fighters for the ambush! Liza will sneak around Jamaa and release the slaves, runaways and resistors while the phantoms are trapped and fighting at their lair. Cosmo and Graham, you will be scouts. Help fight if it is necessary."
"How do we fight phantoms?" Graham pondered.
"We don't fight them exactly. Cosmo traps them in his trapper-plants, and then we release them while they're stunned and kill them with our staffs."
"Okay," Peck sighed. "Can I fight if necessary?"
"Yes," Sir Gilbert answered.
"Alright then, let's move out!" Greely howled, eyeing Aureis while Sir Gilbert eyed me.
Something was very weird here.
What was even weirder was that this battle was going to end very quickly.
I could feel it.
Everybody here was going to die except for Aureis and I.
How did I know that?
I'm not sure, but there was something weird going on... and I needed to find out.
Like, right now.
So I did what needed to be done.
I padded away quietly and unnoticed, dodging leaves and twigs and permafrost and ice. I was halfway to the bridge when I felt something on my neck, and I turned around to see Sir Gilbert.
"You're not going anywhere, young ArcticCat," he growled in an odd, buzzy voice, and then his face melted off.
I wanted to scream, but I knew I couldn't. I bit his paw as hard as I could, scrabbled for a pawhold on the ground, and took off for the bridge. I knew who was chasing me.
But... why?
Why would he do this to me... when he was protecting me all his life?
Chapter 1: I'm Terrified Right Now
I'm Silver. They call me that because I'm the color of silver, so of course you can guess what I look like. My eyes are oddly purple. I never have figured out why. And if you want to know, I'm a tiger. Like my mother and my grandfather all were.
I'm an ArcticCat. We are the most hunted family in all of Vortesia. It used to be called Jamaa, but the phantoms invaded and brought forth the most frightening future we have all ever seen. So, they call it Vortesia and we're usually either slaves, resistors, or on-the-run. That last one is me.
I'm the most hunted because we're the most peaceful. My mother used to stop wrong in Jamaa. Her name was Snowflake ArcticCat. So the phantoms want us down so we can't stop them, because the truth is, we have the power to do so.
Call me a liar, but that's how it is with the ArcticCats.
I'm so terrified right now. You may think that phantoms as you know them are only as big as a jammer's head. You're wrong. They broke into Brady Barr's lab and supersized themselves to be as big as Mira. They stole her spirit from Sarepia's Fire and shattered her imprisoned, crystallized self in the Township. And right now, there's one eating my house.
Now you can see why I'm scared.
So yeah, my family sought refuge in the Flag Shop, which is the most unused place in the whole of Vortesia (and this is actually true). We were using it as a home, but those monster-sized phantoms found us, and now they're eating our 'house.'
There are bricks falling everywhere right now and-- did I just get hit on the head with the American flag? Wow. That flag is racist.
Did you know that phantoms could parry? Did you know they had swords?
They do. And right now, one of them has grabbed the Phantom flag, is using it as a sword, and is irritating me a LOT. He is trying to drive it down my throat.
I've got to run, run, run. My paws are hitting the ground hard, stinging with every painful step as I trip over bricks, splinter through wood, and get nails embedded in my pads. My parents... woah! Where are they?
I turn around to see mom and dad trapped under a heavyweighted-to-the-floor table with bricks and broken wood spattered on top. A hungry phantom was looming over them, hissing as its electric tentacles and toothy jaws snapped tightly around the top of the table.
"Mom! Dad!" I shouted. I sped over to them frantically. "Mommy! Daddy! No!!!!!"
"Save yourself, honey," my father crooned, his gray pelt glimmering harmonically with his blue eyes.
I think I forgot to tell you before now that he's not a tiger.
He's even better. He's a snow leopard.
Anyways, back to the story.
"Go while you can. Your truth seeker fury will come to you," agreed my mother. Then they both closed their eyes tight and I watched in horror as the table smashed in two and the phantom seized my parents. It tossed them up into the air, swallowed them, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
I started to screech in fury and kick stuff and yowl at random birds and punch bricks (which really hurt), and I said, "Why didn't you let it be me?! Oh great Mira, why couldn't you let me die?!"
"Mira isn't here anymore, young one," rasped an old yet mysterious voice. "Neither are your parents, the great jewels of Jamaa."
"Wha--Jamaa? You believe in The Hope?"
"I am the leader of The Hope. I am a resistor, and I was one of Mira's top shamans... until the phantoms came." The mist parted to reveal a scarred, yet elegantly dressed tiger.
"You're going to have to be brave, little one," he continued.
"Wait, who are you?"
"Your mother and father knew me. I am Sir Gilbert."
Something felt strange about 'Sir' Gilbert. He had this odd, familiar look to him.
Anyways, I followed his lead... whereever he was going. He was headed for Shiveer, or at least in the opposite direction of Zios.
I knew why, of course.
He said we were safe here. When we reached the icy summit, he pulled me away from the cocoa hut and down to the Hot Springs. He said that he had always been prepared for what was about to happen.
Sir Gilbert walked up to the dinosaur trapped in the ice and carved a password into a rock with his claws.
I'm an ArcticCat. We are the most hunted family in all of Vortesia. It used to be called Jamaa, but the phantoms invaded and brought forth the most frightening future we have all ever seen. So, they call it Vortesia and we're usually either slaves, resistors, or on-the-run. That last one is me.
I'm the most hunted because we're the most peaceful. My mother used to stop wrong in Jamaa. Her name was Snowflake ArcticCat. So the phantoms want us down so we can't stop them, because the truth is, we have the power to do so.
Call me a liar, but that's how it is with the ArcticCats.
I'm so terrified right now. You may think that phantoms as you know them are only as big as a jammer's head. You're wrong. They broke into Brady Barr's lab and supersized themselves to be as big as Mira. They stole her spirit from Sarepia's Fire and shattered her imprisoned, crystallized self in the Township. And right now, there's one eating my house.
Now you can see why I'm scared.
So yeah, my family sought refuge in the Flag Shop, which is the most unused place in the whole of Vortesia (and this is actually true). We were using it as a home, but those monster-sized phantoms found us, and now they're eating our 'house.'
There are bricks falling everywhere right now and-- did I just get hit on the head with the American flag? Wow. That flag is racist.
Did you know that phantoms could parry? Did you know they had swords?
They do. And right now, one of them has grabbed the Phantom flag, is using it as a sword, and is irritating me a LOT. He is trying to drive it down my throat.
I've got to run, run, run. My paws are hitting the ground hard, stinging with every painful step as I trip over bricks, splinter through wood, and get nails embedded in my pads. My parents... woah! Where are they?
I turn around to see mom and dad trapped under a heavyweighted-to-the-floor table with bricks and broken wood spattered on top. A hungry phantom was looming over them, hissing as its electric tentacles and toothy jaws snapped tightly around the top of the table.
"Mom! Dad!" I shouted. I sped over to them frantically. "Mommy! Daddy! No!!!!!"
"Save yourself, honey," my father crooned, his gray pelt glimmering harmonically with his blue eyes.
I think I forgot to tell you before now that he's not a tiger.
He's even better. He's a snow leopard.
Anyways, back to the story.
"Go while you can. Your truth seeker fury will come to you," agreed my mother. Then they both closed their eyes tight and I watched in horror as the table smashed in two and the phantom seized my parents. It tossed them up into the air, swallowed them, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
I started to screech in fury and kick stuff and yowl at random birds and punch bricks (which really hurt), and I said, "Why didn't you let it be me?! Oh great Mira, why couldn't you let me die?!"
"Mira isn't here anymore, young one," rasped an old yet mysterious voice. "Neither are your parents, the great jewels of Jamaa."
"Wha--Jamaa? You believe in The Hope?"
"I am the leader of The Hope. I am a resistor, and I was one of Mira's top shamans... until the phantoms came." The mist parted to reveal a scarred, yet elegantly dressed tiger.
"You're going to have to be brave, little one," he continued.
"Wait, who are you?"
"Your mother and father knew me. I am Sir Gilbert."
Something felt strange about 'Sir' Gilbert. He had this odd, familiar look to him.
Anyways, I followed his lead... whereever he was going. He was headed for Shiveer, or at least in the opposite direction of Zios.
I knew why, of course.
He said we were safe here. When we reached the icy summit, he pulled me away from the cocoa hut and down to the Hot Springs. He said that he had always been prepared for what was about to happen.
Sir Gilbert walked up to the dinosaur trapped in the ice and carved a password into a rock with his claws.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)