Rose

Long ago there lived a king and his lovely daughter. The king never thought much of his daughter. When she was born she had taken the life of his wife, which is why he named her Rose. She had thorns that could kill anyone with just one touch. He never spoke to her and she was raised by a human cat named Momo. Momo was the japanese word for peach which suited her light orange pattern. They lived in a tiny cottage outside of the king's village Direwood.
Rose laid in Momo's arms and looked up at her, "Why didn't my dad want me?" Momo looked into Rose's eyes of despair and couldn't help but pull her in for a tight hug. Rose ran her hands through Momo's soft fur as she started to cry. Being able to hug Momo has always been able to cheer Rose up but this time it felt like there was no use. Momo pulled her away and looked at her. She knew that she couldn't avoid the truth no longer. "It's time we talk." Momo sat up and so did Rose. They were now sitting in front of one another and the air felt thick.
"After you were born your father had you sent away with me cause he couldn't maintain his anger towards you. You had taken the love of his life at birth and for some reason he has not been able to forgive you." Momo looked down knowing that this couldn't be easy for Rose to take in. With tears streaming down her face Rose asked, "Why can't he forgive me? It wasn't my fault. I couldn't control what happened when I was born. Am I a mistake?"
Momo was taken back by the sudden question and looked up at Rose with wide eyes. "You were never a mistake darling and I know you couldn't help what happened on that day. To be honest I have no idea what has gotten into the king. I can tell you for as long as I've known Sugoi he has always been a cheerful and outgoing person. It is like the grief had overtaken him with anger. He has never been the same great person since." Rose couldn't look at Momo so she stared at the ground. Momo put her paw on Rose's head and patteed it. "It is okay now because you have me and you'll never lose me." Momo reassured her with a bright smile. Rose couldn't help but to smile back through her tears. Rose moved closer to Momo and hugged her then rested her head on her lap. Rose had slowly fallen asleep and Momo took her back into her room.
The next morning Rose ran into Momo's only to find an empty room. Rose just thought that maybe she could just be in the kitchen, but she wasn't there either. Rose looked everywhere and still couldn't find her. Just as she was starting to lose hope she heard the sound of a cardboard box falling over. Rose's head sprung up and looked around desperately to find the box on its side under the kitchen table. Rose walked up to the box to find a light orange cat. At that moment Rose knew that it was Momo. She held Momo in her arms and started to tear up.
Not long after she found Momo she heard a knock on the door. Rose was scared yet she walked up to the door anyways. She slowly opened the door to find 2 men she had never seen before. "King Sugoi had sent us out here to take you home." Rose took a few steps back not knowing what to do. Momo looked up at her and she could just feel her reassuring her that she would be doing the right thing to go with them. Rose took a deep breath and stepped forward to go with them.
They had taken her to the castle and led her into the main room. She stood there awkwardly just waiting for the inevitable. The king walked down the spiral staircase and met with Rose at the end. "I have brought you here because the mask seller had revoked Momo's mask and I didn't think you would want to live on your own." He spoke with no emotions.
"What do you mean mask seller? Give me more details!" Rose basically yelled. Momo, still in Rose's arms ducked her head into her arms.
"Right, let me explain. Long ago Momo had traded her cat face for a human mask. This mask allowed her to take the form you're used to seeing her as. Now you're seeing her original form. A worthless street cat." He explained.
"Don't you call her that! She is worth more than you ever will!" Rose held Momo closer worried that she would lose her.
"None of that matters now cause you are placed under my care until you reach 18." He said, holding out his hand. "Trust me I know how hard this must be for you. Just follow me and I'll show you your room."
Rose felt as if she had no other choice so she followed him and up the staircase they went. Sugoi had led her to the room at the very end of the hall. The room seemed to be different from the rest of the house. The wallpaper was a faded out pastel pink and there were cobwebs hanging from ceiling to wall. In the middle of the room there was a little bed and that was all. The room was empty. When Rose stepped in to look around she noticed a teddy bear sitting on the bed. She sat Momo down on the bed and picked up the teddy bear.  She turned around to ask, "What's this?" Sugoi looked down as if he wasn't ready to face reality.
"That is the teddy bear I had brought you when you were born." He said.
"Even though you were mad at me? You kept the bear even after all these years?" Rose asked as she hugged the bear. Sugoi walked up to Rose and rested his hand on her shoulder suggesting that they sit down on the bed.
"I should have never abandoned you as a child. I regret it every day, but I knew Momo could take good care of you. I thought it would be best if you stayed with her rather than with me. I am a disappointment of a father, that I am aware. I understand if you will never forgive me but I am willing to do anything for you. I want to make up for all of the years I missed. At least I know that's what your mother would have wanted. She would like to see us get along don't you agree?" When Rose looked into Sugoi's eyes she could see the tears that sat in this waterline. He looked as if he was genuinely sorrowful. She could feel her chest ache as should feel as if she could feel what he was feeling.
There was a part of her that was still angry but yet she still felt empathy for him. Rose opened her arms to give her father a hug. Sugoi was taken back but wasn't going to miss this opportunity. He pulled her in for a hug and for the first time in a long time he could feel a smile forming on his face. As they hugged both of them had tears streaming down their faces.
Poof! A fat siamese cat person emerged with the giant puff of purple smoke. Both of them jumped at the sudden noise. Rose screamed when she saw what was now standing in the middle of the room. The big fat siamese cat laughed seeing the shock on their faces. "I see that you two have made up." He said with an ominous smile.
"Are you the mask seller?" Rose asked, jumping up to meet him.
"I take it you want this." The mask seller held up the mask. The mask looked like a young woman's face. She had bright orange eyeshadow and strawberry pink lipstick. Rose knew that make up look. It was Momo's, she reached out her hand to try and snatch the mask but failed. "You don't think I would let you have it that easily did you. I need a mask to replace this one." He said running his finger along Rose's jawline. Rose stepped away from him and looked to her father for help. He nodded his head and smiled.
"If you want anyone's mask you can have mine." He said bravely and the mask seller turned towards him. "I've said it once I'll say it again Momo is better for you than I ever will be." Sugoi looked brave on the outside but on the inside he was screaming. He knew he had to do what was best for Rose.
The mask seller smirked and started to run his finger along Sugoi's forehead this time he had his claw out. Blood ran from the cut down his face and started dripping on the floor. Rose panicked and pushed the mask seller's hand away. "What are you doing to him!" she yelled.
"Taking his mask. What else would I be doing?" He stared at Rose confused.
"What happens when you take his mask? I just got him back. I don't want to lose him again." She fell to her knees with tears streaming down her face.
"Don't worry my child, once I take his mask I will replace it with a cat mask. That would leave him to be a cat rather than a cat person. You can keep him as a pet in your little cottage with Momo." His voice dragged making Rose more scared than she already was.
"Is that what you would want?" She asked, looking at her dad hoping for an answer.
"As long as I'm with you I am happy." He smiled through his pain. She looked at the mask seller and nodded. The mask seller went back to what he was doing. Rose sat there watching as he cut off her father's face. Once it was fully removed there was a slat bloody surface left. The mask seller held up two cat masks one was gray and the other had more of a calico pattern.
"Which one do you think suits him best?" he asked looking over to see Rose with her head hidden in her hands. He just turned back to Sugoi and put the gray mask on. Momo ran up and sat next to Sugoi. The mask seller smiled and placed the human mask on her. "Now just wait for the magic to take place." he stepped back and sat next to Rose. He ran his paw up and down Rose's back. The same purple smoke started flowing out of the eye holes of the mask. The smoke soon absorbed his whole body. Then sparkles started shooting out making loud fireworks like sounds. It all ended with a loud poof. The smoke started to settle down revealing a small gray cat and Momo sitting next to one another. They looked as if nothing had happened to them. Rose and Momo made eye contact with one another and Rose automatically ran up to give her a hug.
"What a happy ending" The mask seller winked and disappeared in the smoke. 
The mask seller was correct because after all of that Rose was crowned the new queen of Direwood. Momo now travels around Direwood saving any children in need. Sugoi is now known as the mischievous cat that roams Direwood. With that they all lived happily ever after.