The Land of Theria, Book One: Crossroads (Actively & Slowly, Editing)

Chapter 1

The 16th day of The Jackalope Moon in the two thousand and forth year

In the land of Theria, the first golden rays of the sun's early light enriched the twilight sky with amber shades that pierced through the morning's mist, and yet no birds sang their songs to the world. No woodland creatures were anywhere to be seen. Not even a chipmunk hopping across the ground, nor a harpy circling overhead. Not even an ant scuttling through the tall grass where a Felidae walked up right through the forest, although she just as easily could have traveled upon all fours if she so desired even while wearing a blue-berry colored cloth that came down to her thighs. On both sides of her hips, threaded strands of crystals braided with fabric bounced against her fur with each step. Her tail swayed with joyful thought as she looked down at the flower crown she carried in her right paw with much delicacy.

She was, for the most part, entirely black with atrous stripes that rarely shone. The only patches of white belonged to the tip of her tail and the back of her ears. Long black strands of fur that acted as hair were threaded with flowers. Deep cerulean eyes that bore the wonderment of a soul that was new to the physical world, scanned the familiar woodsy path that ran parallel around a massive lake. Through the thicket, she could barely make out the island that protruded over the horizon. Her ears moved around like radars, but they failed to hear anything. It was unusual for the forest to be this quiet. She was utterly alone in the solitary silence.

The Felidae continued forth on the familiar trail following its twists and turns that led her deeper into the woods, and further from her tribe. Distant cumulonimbus clouds rolled across the tranquil morning to consume the warmth of early spring. The Felidae came to a pause in her stride and peered at the sky overhead for a brief moment before continuing on, the tip of her tail twitching in response to the change in temperature. Her thoughts raced with excitement as she rounded another bend that brought her closer to the sacred grove. The Felidae glanced down at the flower crown in hand and smiled. She quickened her pace a few feet away from the grove's entrance when a gust of air announced the impending storm, but along the currents lay a repulsive metallic stench of decay that burned her nose and heavied her lungs. The Felidae came to an abrupt stop and wrinkled her nose. She gagged at the rot that lingered in her mouth and fought the urge to retch. Every fiber in her body told her to run, to get far away from this place and to never come back, but she dismissed her natural instincts, for the source of the scent she recognized all too well. Her eyes widened. In a matter of seconds the sky opened up. The rich petrichor scent of wet earth permeated the air. The sound of rain pelting leaf was deafening.

Dense fog rapidly swallowed the island and closed in on the lake. Not even a moment longer, did it descend upon the land. It slithered like tendrils and seeped through the forest to settle between the trees to mask the secrets of the world. Even for keen eyes such as her own it made visibility poor. The Felidae strained to see, but was unable to see more than arm's reach away. She relied on her nose to catch the scent trail and to guide her. Her ears pushed forward to the sound of water aggressively sloshing against rock, mimicking the latent violence carried in the atmosphere.

Her ear flicked, nose telling her that the source of the scent trail was close. She followed its path to a peninsula that overlooked a cove full of pondweeds and water lilies. She stood among the edge of the forest where dirt turned to sand, unable to breathe at the rancid stench. Panic rose through her spine pleading with her to flee.

In the corner of her eyes, the Felidae caught a glimpse of something. She lowered herself to the ground where water lilies bobbed with the waves, their forms never bending to the water's will. At first the blurry figure looked to be strands of fishing nets, even tattered cloth perhaps, but as it drew closer she was gravely mistaken. The body of a Fae woman trailing chestnut-brown hair threaded with once vibrant flowers, drifted towards the Felidae, the body rocking with the current, held in place by the vegetation.

The Felidae whimpered, her hackles erected when the wind's howling raked through her fur announcing the storm's arrival. The flower crown that she was holding fell to the rocks below and was swept away and torn apart by a gust of wind. The Felidae stepped out from under the canopy of trees and into the storm to stand on the rocky ledge. She hugged herself closely, shivering at the heat that she was unable to find. The atmospheric pressure built until a wild crash of thunder bellowed overhead like an enraged minotaur declaring its presence to intruders. The force of the thunder's arrival vigorously shook the earth as if the minotaur was pounding its hooves into dirt.

The Felidae's lips curled upward to show fangs. Her ears pulled all the way back, tail bristling as the harsh scent dominated the air. The body rocked closer. An overwhelming sense of dread seized the young Felidae. It impelled her to run into the lake. Rain turned to hail.

Her naturally thick fur did not prevent the cold from snagging her breath and shocking her system when she entered the icy water. Ridged waves commanded by the brewing storm tugged her body. Even in a lake, the currents could sweep her. Her paws sunk into the murky sand where leeches waded. Some were attached to the woman's feet. Others circled the Felidae. She struggled against the water while trying to keep her footing, and made her way to the body. Pondweed entangled her. The Felidae's ears airplane backwards. It was as if the vegetation, too, was trying to drown her, and as if to confirm her assumptions, she tripped. Shots of adrenaline coursed through her as the icy water hit her face. With each new movement, she lost feeling in her muscles.

Lightning rose from the ground to brighten the black clouds. The Felidae trepidatiously pulled the woman close, one of her paws becoming intertwined in the tattered, lavish moss-green gown. She struggled to break free of the entanglement, her vision blurring at the shaking of thunder. The undertow threatened to drag her into its depths. She used all her strength to remain above the water and to carry the Fae woman to safety, but the water pulled the body from the Felidae's grasp. She lunged for the woman before the current could sweep her and pulled her closer again, this time with her claws so as to not lose grip. The Felidae's paw slipped into a gash in the woman's stomach. A viscous substance clumped her fur. The Felidae dragged the woman to shore and fell to her knees in the sand. She pulled her away from the water's grasp and untangled her paw from the blood stained fabric. She rested the woman's head against her own chest, and brushed the wet hair with one finger-like paw from her pallid face. She studied the woman's once rosy lips now pooled with mortis. The Felidae roared her rage against the storm as if to curse the Divine.

Lightning illuminated the fog. The corpse fulgurated with the lightning, turning from a fae to a black bengal Felidae tiger that eerily resembled herself except for the white markings upon her body which paralleled that of an orange tiger. When the lightning faded, the body took its fae appearance once more. Grief siphoned any remaining strength from the young Felidae. Enigmatic exhaustion settled itself comfortably into her bones, drawing her into a state of hebetude.