Empress Cat

Prologue

I thank harrisonwellsfan999 of Archive of our own for helping me out.

The Egyptian word for cat is mau, meaning "to see". Egyptians were fascinated by cat's eyes, most likely because they believed that cats could see into the human soul.

Cats were originally kept because they hunted mice that would eat the stored grains. It was a beneficial situation for both sides. Cats would get a reliable source of prey and the humans got effortless pest control. Undoubtedly, cats were very good at catching mice and rats, reducing disease and deaths and also allowing a larger supply of food for the poor.

This, therefore, changed the quality of living for the Egyptians and cats became a sacred creature representing life. They were associated with the goddess, Bast, the twin of Ra, the Sun god. As a protector, she was seen as defender of the pharaoh, and consequently of the chief god, Ra. If an Egyptian killed a cat, they were immediately given the death penalty; yet the fear of the all mighty cat itself, made this a rare occurrence. The Pharaohs were mummified and buried with statues of cats, representing good luck and safe companionship to the afterlife. In Ancient Egypt, to have many cats meant you were very lucky.

Every so often, Bast would choose a mortal woman as her champion by viewing through the eyes of the Egyptian Maus throughout history and searching for women to pass on her gift to those who were close to death or about to be murdered to become a sort of heroine of Egypt or whatever country they're from. One Egyptian woman was a peasant living as a slave of the then pharaoh's family who got whipped to death by a slave driver. Her deeds would be more along the lines of defeating criminals and corrupt officials and was told to proclaim herself as the champion of goddess Bast herself which would strike fear to those who saw her cat mask.

Towards the end of the Egyptian Empire, cats were sold to the Greeks and Persians. In 500 BC, a domesticated cat was given to the Emperor of China, becoming the most popular pet of the rich during the Song Dynasty.

An empress born in the Year of the Tiger gained her abilities, claws and mask through an illness death and used these abilities to fight unlawful criminals and brought good omens towards those in need.

The Romans also used cats to control the pest population. Around 100 AD, they were introduced to Britain and were protected by Law by the King of Wales, Hywel Dda, as sacred and valuable animals. Killing a cat would be punishable by death.

The daughter of Hywel Dda was named Angharad, who was slain by a sword, was influenced by the many learned aspects of the Celts, essentially becoming either good or bad. She was born on Celtic year of the Cat.

Sadly, the fate of cats changed in Europe during the Middle Ages - Medieval Times. During this time, the cat was seen as evil and associated with Pagan churches and beliefs. An English/Medieval woman was involved in the use of witchcraft and thus was viewed as evil by the church. Though she managed to escape burnings several times, she and the women in her family were still subjected to constant witch hunts. After being caught by the church, burned alive then revived by an Egyptian Mau she became that time's Catwoman. She would use her abilities to protect her family, despite the negative reputation that comes with it.

One from Japan who was a kunoichi using her abilities to fend off corrupt feudal lords in Feudal Japan by stealing their riches and giving to the poor.

By 1400 the cat was almost extinct due to bad press from the Church. Ironically, cats were blamed for the spread of the Plague, the Black Death; when in reality, it was the rat who was responsible for the spreading of such disease. Cats had a rough time, they were treated badly, most often killed along with their owners who were considered witches.

As the cats moved to Paris, a French woman who took her own side in battle, was executed for being a woman at war at that time. After being reincarnated, she took revenge on the ones who killed her while protecting her people.

Cats flourished again in the 20th Century when they were reintroduced as household pets by Queen Victoria of England. During the 1990s, cats overtook the dog as the world's most favorite and common pet.

Soon, Egyptian Maus had been bred and shown prior to World War ll by Europeans who imported them from the Middle East.

Though there had been a jewel thief from Germany with the cat gift, one German Catwoman saved a family, who described her as a woman in black. She was from World War II and used her abilities from an Alp or Tatzelwurm to fight Nazis who killed her and save the Jewish.

Then there was Christine Novak AKA, The Flying Panther, who was a trapeze artist who died in a fall. A protector and performer, a life lived to the fullest.

One from Southern Africa who is a shaman or witch-doctor also known commonly as "sangoma" and acts as a Zulu warrior.

After the war, the exiled Princess Nathalie Troubetskoy rescued some of the remaining Maus in Italy. She's the one who brought the "Catwoman" alter ego to America after being exiled from Russia. Most reports indicate that the princess brought her Maus to the U.S. in 1953. There she passed down the mask to women who were worthy of Bast's gift and given new life.

A young woman was reading all of this history in books and artwork.

"So all these women died and were revived by the Egyptian Mau." said the woman. "This might work". She says putting the books in her bag.

You're probably wondering why someone is reading stuff like death, cats, witches and heroes. Well, you might want to know how all this got started to begin with.

If you want another chapter, please message me so we can figure out what happens next.