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Description

The memory of her hatred for humans resurfaced on a gloomy evening in March. Spring was in full swing in the violent city and while the smell of flowers and pollen coated the air, the snow lynx hybrid couldn’t help but still smell the remnants of iron and blood coating the streets as she traveled them.

This probably wasn’t made better by the fact that there was a match going on in the coliseum itself, the cheers of the people within the large building overlapping over the sound of the rain on the cobblestone. It sounded like thunder and made the skin under her fur crawl.

She had just come back from traveling out to one of the smaller towns, delivering necessary medical supplies to a small clinic that had wanted nothing to do with the coliseum fights and the felines who took part, and as she heard the roar of a lion peak with the sound of the townsfolk, she couldn’t help but think about that shop and how it differed from so many that populated this gods forsaken city. Her work had primarily been in guarding caravans as a paid member of the gilded city itself. Rome had given her a soft and gentle reminder that, while there was still a reason to fight against being oppressed, life was not the same for every feline who existed within the walls of a city. Humans, much like felines, were never the same.

This thought had placated her over the years; had become a mantra that she reminded herself of when she met the wrong kind of people within the towns she so often visited. It was how she kept herself from thinking too heavily of her past and what it meant to be a feline in a world so clearly built against her. She was with the right kind of people and that made it better. Yet, something was changing inside of her. Returning to the city had been a mistake.

She had passed the mountains on the way home. They had been frosted at the top while the valley below had been warm and welcoming for the travelers returning back with their money. While the others in her caravan hadn’t said anything to her, or even noticed her sudden pause mid-step, Crispus had leaned in and reminded her that she was not alone in her homesickness.

They had moved on not long after that, the mountains and that feeling of wanting another memory for another life.

There was nothing there calling her back other than the ache in her heart for a home she had long since outgrown and left behind. Compared to the rest of her life, her time as an empire cat had been short, not even three years worth, and now she had lived past ten and had her own children to think about. It wasn’t like she could drop the world to return to an empire she had led for such a short time. It wasn’t like she could turn away from everything that she had built with humans just for the sake of a memory.

What would the outcome be anyway? Would it be wise for her to even bother? The questions came down like the drops of rain around her, her paws splashing in puddles that would eventually become one with the dirt beneath her, much like her feelings would eventually become one with her memories. Even now, she wanted nothing more than to feel the pine needles crunch under her feet. To smell the scent of rain in a pine forest or live in the revenant beauty of the first snowstorm of the year would have been to bring her back to a world she no longer knew. She had longed, on that walk, to feel the crisp morning air sting her lungs. Her heart had ached so hard for a fresh caught meal that she could feel it in her teeth.

Yet, she remained in Massilia all the same.

This longing hadn’t been here before returning to this city in particular. Prior to her current position as a private guard, her visits to Massilia had always been short and concise without reason to really sit and think on the effects it had so intrinsically had on her childhood. She had spent much of the past seven years enjoying naps in cushy beds and eating dinner with friends who didn’t have to worry about catching a meal to survive. Her comforts were climbing up onto stone rooftops to watch the sunrise and feel the breeze of the ocean ruffle her fur from the aft of a boat. She had found other things to take pleasure in, but being so close to the mountains had started to stain those quiet moments… or maybe it was this city that particularly curdled her enjoyment. She wasn’t sure.

The weather was only the first reminder. She wouldn’t soon forget that it had rained on the day of the attack, and while the city streets had clearly changed, the reminder of what had taken place nearly eight years prior haunted Anura’s bones much like it did the city. There were still clear markers of the damage, much like how Ragnarok had left scorch marks in its wake. If she wasn’t careful, the calls of the humans sounded much like the screams she had heard when she had met her sister, Rylan. The lightning of the streets came off as too sinister, and she could feel the phantom urge to lose herself take over. That battle lust hadn’t hit her again since that night, but its spirit still clung to her like grape vines on a trellis, no matter how hard she tried to shake it off, she would never be able to forget just what kind of danger to society she could be.

Granted, she had come to hold that feeling less at arm's length, and treated it more like how so many soldiers treated their gladius. She knew she could let her own instincts take over to an extent, but would never lose control over herself if she could help it.

She had wandered the stone pathways that night, getting lost and feeling restless before coming across a scrawny underfed child hiding under a pathetic box to keep out of the rain. She had joined him, curiosity sparking her to see if he needed to be taken in from the dangers. Her own children had been adopted in a similar manner, and she admittedly was feeling some level of empty nest syndrome now that all of them could survive on their own. A part of her was glad that Shrub had joined her and Crispus on this particular excursion.

That ordeal was its own kind of monster that she wouldn’t think much on though.

This was the third reminder of how terrible this city could be. It had been a short conversation before he had been taken away. It had been a surprise to them both as large hands pushed into the box and grabbed him, his skinny form clearly not wanting to return back to whatever place he had come from as his master roughly handled him.

Decem.

Ten.

They had named him a number, and from the smell that permeated his pelt, she couldn’t imagine that they treated him any better than just that. Were there others? Was he the tenth victim to this onslaught, whatever it was? She didn’t know if anything was wrong, but her instincts screamed at her, telling her she needed to do something.

This. This was what would set her on a path out of the city. She could feel it as she watched, helpless and angry, as this child was taken from her. Sure, this was his owner, but this wasn’t like anything she had witnessed before. Maybe it was because she had been a mother and knew intimately what it was like to fear for one’s life, or maybe it was because she had been used to the softer treatment of humans, but she felt herself break.

She had been growing bitter for some time. This was just the first step that would push her back to her old life. Her body jumped into action before she could think on it longer. As the man rounded the corner, her feet had sent her flying after the man. She would never break the law directly, that much she had already concluded. Though she felt thoughts of damaging the human course through her paws, pulling her claws out with each step. She had to know where he was located. If she could know where the numbered child lived, maybe she could start actually forming a better plan than just “leave”.

The child hadn’t gotten far from his home in this weather. Though Anura wasn’t entirely sure he had intentionally tried to break out. She only knew that he was being forcibly returned, and now she was formulating a plan.

If she was going to break out, she was going to make sure he got out with her. Somehow. Some way.

WC: 1522
Anura belongs to me, Decem to Rain847

It begins.

Description

The memory of her hatred for humans resurfaced on a gloomy evening in March. Spring was in full swing in the violent city and while the smell of flowers and pollen coated the air, the snow lynx hybrid couldn’t help but still smell the remnants of iron and blood coating the streets as she traveled them.

This probably wasn’t made better by the fact that there was a match going on in the coliseum itself, the cheers of the people within the large building overlapping over the sound of the rain on the cobblestone. It sounded like thunder and made the skin under her fur crawl.

She had just come back from traveling out to one of the smaller towns, delivering necessary medical supplies to a small clinic that had wanted nothing to do with the coliseum fights and the felines who took part, and as she heard the roar of a lion peak with the sound of the townsfolk, she couldn’t help but think about that shop and how it differed from so many that populated this gods forsaken city. Her work had primarily been in guarding caravans as a paid member of the gilded city itself. Rome had given her a soft and gentle reminder that, while there was still a reason to fight against being oppressed, life was not the same for every feline who existed within the walls of a city. Humans, much like felines, were never the same.

This thought had placated her over the years; had become a mantra that she reminded herself of when she met the wrong kind of people within the towns she so often visited. It was how she kept herself from thinking too heavily of her past and what it meant to be a feline in a world so clearly built against her. She was with the right kind of people and that made it better. Yet, something was changing inside of her. Returning to the city had been a mistake.

She had passed the mountains on the way home. They had been frosted at the top while the valley below had been warm and welcoming for the travelers returning back with their money. While the others in her caravan hadn’t said anything to her, or even noticed her sudden pause mid-step, Crispus had leaned in and reminded her that she was not alone in her homesickness.

They had moved on not long after that, the mountains and that feeling of wanting another memory for another life.

There was nothing there calling her back other than the ache in her heart for a home she had long since outgrown and left behind. Compared to the rest of her life, her time as an empire cat had been short, not even three years worth, and now she had lived past ten and had her own children to think about. It wasn’t like she could drop the world to return to an empire she had led for such a short time. It wasn’t like she could turn away from everything that she had built with humans just for the sake of a memory.

What would the outcome be anyway? Would it be wise for her to even bother? The questions came down like the drops of rain around her, her paws splashing in puddles that would eventually become one with the dirt beneath her, much like her feelings would eventually become one with her memories. Even now, she wanted nothing more than to feel the pine needles crunch under her feet. To smell the scent of rain in a pine forest or live in the revenant beauty of the first snowstorm of the year would have been to bring her back to a world she no longer knew. She had longed, on that walk, to feel the crisp morning air sting her lungs. Her heart had ached so hard for a fresh caught meal that she could feel it in her teeth.

Yet, she remained in Massilia all the same.

This longing hadn’t been here before returning to this city in particular. Prior to her current position as a private guard, her visits to Massilia had always been short and concise without reason to really sit and think on the effects it had so intrinsically had on her childhood. She had spent much of the past seven years enjoying naps in cushy beds and eating dinner with friends who didn’t have to worry about catching a meal to survive. Her comforts were climbing up onto stone rooftops to watch the sunrise and feel the breeze of the ocean ruffle her fur from the aft of a boat. She had found other things to take pleasure in, but being so close to the mountains had started to stain those quiet moments… or maybe it was this city that particularly curdled her enjoyment. She wasn’t sure.

The weather was only the first reminder. She wouldn’t soon forget that it had rained on the day of the attack, and while the city streets had clearly changed, the reminder of what had taken place nearly eight years prior haunted Anura’s bones much like it did the city. There were still clear markers of the damage, much like how Ragnarok had left scorch marks in its wake. If she wasn’t careful, the calls of the humans sounded much like the screams she had heard when she had met her sister, Rylan. The lightning of the streets came off as too sinister, and she could feel the phantom urge to lose herself take over. That battle lust hadn’t hit her again since that night, but its spirit still clung to her like grape vines on a trellis, no matter how hard she tried to shake it off, she would never be able to forget just what kind of danger to society she could be.

Granted, she had come to hold that feeling less at arm's length, and treated it more like how so many soldiers treated their gladius. She knew she could let her own instincts take over to an extent, but would never lose control over herself if she could help it.

She had wandered the stone pathways that night, getting lost and feeling restless before coming across a scrawny underfed child hiding under a pathetic box to keep out of the rain. She had joined him, curiosity sparking her to see if he needed to be taken in from the dangers. Her own children had been adopted in a similar manner, and she admittedly was feeling some level of empty nest syndrome now that all of them could survive on their own. A part of her was glad that Shrub had joined her and Crispus on this particular excursion.

That ordeal was its own kind of monster that she wouldn’t think much on though.

This was the third reminder of how terrible this city could be. It had been a short conversation before he had been taken away. It had been a surprise to them both as large hands pushed into the box and grabbed him, his skinny form clearly not wanting to return back to whatever place he had come from as his master roughly handled him.

Decem.

Ten.

They had named him a number, and from the smell that permeated his pelt, she couldn’t imagine that they treated him any better than just that. Were there others? Was he the tenth victim to this onslaught, whatever it was? She didn’t know if anything was wrong, but her instincts screamed at her, telling her she needed to do something.

This. This was what would set her on a path out of the city. She could feel it as she watched, helpless and angry, as this child was taken from her. Sure, this was his owner, but this wasn’t like anything she had witnessed before. Maybe it was because she had been a mother and knew intimately what it was like to fear for one’s life, or maybe it was because she had been used to the softer treatment of humans, but she felt herself break.

She had been growing bitter for some time. This was just the first step that would push her back to her old life. Her body jumped into action before she could think on it longer. As the man rounded the corner, her feet had sent her flying after the man. She would never break the law directly, that much she had already concluded. Though she felt thoughts of damaging the human course through her paws, pulling her claws out with each step. She had to know where he was located. If she could know where the numbered child lived, maybe she could start actually forming a better plan than just “leave”.

The child hadn’t gotten far from his home in this weather. Though Anura wasn’t entirely sure he had intentionally tried to break out. She only knew that he was being forcibly returned, and now she was formulating a plan.

If she was going to break out, she was going to make sure he got out with her. Somehow. Some way.

WC: 1522
Anura belongs to me, Decem to Rain847

It begins.