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Description
The last time she'd been in battle, the most vivid thing she remembered, apart from the noise and the blood of course, was the night sky opening up overhead. The great expanse of stars above that had illuminated her escape, so grand it'd almost felt like she could fall up into it. 'You'll lose yourself,' they'd warned back in the cages where she'd been born, desperate to convince themselves they were safe in that slaughterhouse. 'You'll lose yourself out there.'
But Aquilina had never taken much heed. Perhaps because, in her own mind, there was no real 'self' to save from being lost. Cages and fighting, she'd spent her life going between the two. She'd never had a choice in the matter, and as such had resigned herself to the thought that she'd be offed somewhere along the way. Even after she'd escaped the coliseum, put the forest and Ferox between it and herself, she'd still felt detatched. She had never thought she'd have a real future, and now that the possibility lay at her paws, she did not know whether or not to believe it, or even what to do with it.
She'd drifted through her time with the Ferox almost aimlessly; learning as much as she could, yes, but never knowing what to do beyond that. She'd still felt trapped, but by what, she did not know.
Then the Olum had come.
They had made no effort for peace. They had come, all brute force and violence enough to rival coliseum savagery, spilling blood without care if it meant enforcing themselves upon the cats who already called this place home. A violence she recognized all too well. And as the tensions escalated, the storm building, facing a threat like she'd never known upon the freedom she had taken for granted, Aquilina decided she'd had enough.
Cages and fighting.
She'd had enough of being trapped, and enough of running away. No matter where she went, or what she did, the chance of death would always be there. That was what it meant to be alive. But the chance to truly live? She'd seen for herself how rare that was. But she had also seen that it was worth fighting for. Even if it meant risking life.
As they burst into the Olum camp through the morning light and the moving throng of bodies, the thought burning brightly in her head, she saw the night sky bleed in through her mind's eye. The stars were spinning all around her as she ran, and she was falling into the sky.
Cages. Fighting.
Freedom.
She had escaped. She had a choice. She had a future.
She was not going to lose herself just yet. The sky was not a prison, but a witness.
For as the battle broke out, she made her choice. To defend the future. Her future.
__________________

(wipes tear) my bab is growing up

Also the art style was very much inspired by NITW, I saw a playthrough of it a little while ago and really liked it. I've always loved that sort of 2D style and I've been experimenting with it for a bit and this is one of my results~ I do still plan on joining the journal RP, but I just wanted to have this so I wouldn't have to worry down the line if something happens while writing. and if u wanna maybe join me in the battle carnage u should totally hmu for plots just sayin

And as a note, the result of the battle with the Olum will determine whether Aquilina chooses to stay with the Ferox and advance from an initiate, or goes onto Solus! Ahhhh I'm so excited for the PROGRESS~

+4 deni (full illustration)
+2 deni (short story, 477 words)
+10 deni (assignment)
total: +16 deni

Aquilina and art (c) BlueWolfLock

Description
The last time she'd been in battle, the most vivid thing she remembered, apart from the noise and the blood of course, was the night sky opening up overhead. The great expanse of stars above that had illuminated her escape, so grand it'd almost felt like she could fall up into it. 'You'll lose yourself,' they'd warned back in the cages where she'd been born, desperate to convince themselves they were safe in that slaughterhouse. 'You'll lose yourself out there.'
But Aquilina had never taken much heed. Perhaps because, in her own mind, there was no real 'self' to save from being lost. Cages and fighting, she'd spent her life going between the two. She'd never had a choice in the matter, and as such had resigned herself to the thought that she'd be offed somewhere along the way. Even after she'd escaped the coliseum, put the forest and Ferox between it and herself, she'd still felt detatched. She had never thought she'd have a real future, and now that the possibility lay at her paws, she did not know whether or not to believe it, or even what to do with it.
She'd drifted through her time with the Ferox almost aimlessly; learning as much as she could, yes, but never knowing what to do beyond that. She'd still felt trapped, but by what, she did not know.
Then the Olum had come.
They had made no effort for peace. They had come, all brute force and violence enough to rival coliseum savagery, spilling blood without care if it meant enforcing themselves upon the cats who already called this place home. A violence she recognized all too well. And as the tensions escalated, the storm building, facing a threat like she'd never known upon the freedom she had taken for granted, Aquilina decided she'd had enough.
Cages and fighting.
She'd had enough of being trapped, and enough of running away. No matter where she went, or what she did, the chance of death would always be there. That was what it meant to be alive. But the chance to truly live? She'd seen for herself how rare that was. But she had also seen that it was worth fighting for. Even if it meant risking life.
As they burst into the Olum camp through the morning light and the moving throng of bodies, the thought burning brightly in her head, she saw the night sky bleed in through her mind's eye. The stars were spinning all around her as she ran, and she was falling into the sky.
Cages. Fighting.
Freedom.
She had escaped. She had a choice. She had a future.
She was not going to lose herself just yet. The sky was not a prison, but a witness.
For as the battle broke out, she made her choice. To defend the future. Her future.
__________________

(wipes tear) my bab is growing up

Also the art style was very much inspired by NITW, I saw a playthrough of it a little while ago and really liked it. I've always loved that sort of 2D style and I've been experimenting with it for a bit and this is one of my results~ I do still plan on joining the journal RP, but I just wanted to have this so I wouldn't have to worry down the line if something happens while writing. and if u wanna maybe join me in the battle carnage u should totally hmu for plots just sayin

And as a note, the result of the battle with the Olum will determine whether Aquilina chooses to stay with the Ferox and advance from an initiate, or goes onto Solus! Ahhhh I'm so excited for the PROGRESS~

+4 deni (full illustration)
+2 deni (short story, 477 words)
+10 deni (assignment)
total: +16 deni

Aquilina and art (c) BlueWolfLock