Arcanum

Chapter 2: Aiyana

I stalked through the forest, my boots barely making a sound as I approached my prey. The capybara quietly munched on grass, and I pulled out my double machetes and snuck behind the mammal. With a quick swipe across its neck, the capybara fell dead, and I picked up my prey and carried it back to my village.

"Hey!" My best friend, Charlene smiled as I walked into the village. I gave her a quick smile, and walked toward the butcher shop.

"Thanks princess." The butcher, who was a man in his fifties gave me a thankful smile, as I dropped the dead capybara in his shop. Then, I walked around my village, and sighed when I noticed children playing. Since the humans last attack on our many villages, the population had decreased by so much. Seeing the innocent children made me worry for their lives. I then approached a large building made of wood from the jungle, and smiled at the guards as I walked into the building. The humans would call this a castle, but it was much more than that. Despite it being quite a lot smaller than typical castles, it was my home. I wandered down the long hallway and looked around at the many rooms.

"Princess Aiyana, I have your dress." One of the tailors in our village said to me, and I nodded and followed her into my bedroom. I undressed out of my hunting clothes, and then replaced them with the dress. After putting it on, I strolled to the mirror and examined it. It was a strapless dress, an was the colour of emeralds. The dress flowed all the way to my feet like a cascading waterfall. "You look beautiful in that." The tailor beamed, and I smiled at her,

"Thank you."

"Well, I wish you luck at the ceremony." The tailor said, and I peeled off the dress and pulled on more comfortable clothes. A white baggy shirt, and a pair of pale green leggings. I then walked back outside, and disappeared into the forest. The jungle made me feel at home, I loved the greens, and the beautiful animals. As I jogged through the rainforest, I came to a stop in front of a large tree, and transformed into a ocelot. You see, the Catori each have three different forms. The first is a house cat, the second is a battle cat, and few of us have the ability to transform into another. I am one that is able to. My transformations are a house cat, a lioness, and an ocelot. I dug my claws into the bark off the tree, and used my agility and strength to pull myself up to the top branch of the tree. When I arrived, I sat down on the thick branch and transformed back into my human-like form.

The strong winds blew back my blonde hair, and I breathed in the air as I stared out at the jungle and the blue skies. In the distance, I spotted King Rupert's castle and it instantly ruined the view. My hate for the humans was growing more and more. They killed our people, terrorized our villages, and tried to destroy our jungles all because we were different. I snarled loudly, and felt my hands dig into the bark of the tree.

"Hey Aiyana." My younger brother, Anca sat beside me on the branch, "are you nervous for the ceremony?" He asked, and I looked to see his blonde cat ears twitching slightly.

"Yeah." I nodded, and he patted my back and gave me a large grin,

"I know my sister will do great. You've always been brave and confident." I smiled at him,

"Thanks Anca. I just wish mom was here to see us." I looked at the ground below us,

"Me too. I can't believe you are becoming Queen in two years." I nodded,

"Sometimes it's hard to believe."

"Wait. Do you see that?" Anca grabbed my arm, and pointed at the ground. I looked down and noticed a black haired Catori emerging out of the trees.

"I've never seen him before. He must be from another village." I wondered, and then transformed back into a ocelot, and scaled down the tree. When I landed, I transformed back into a human and looked at the boy. He looked to be the same age of me, but his black wolf ears and matching tail made me confirm he was one of us.