--------------------- Inka Begins --------------------- Once, a great while ago, a land reigned, Inka. It’s mossy stone walls stretched high into the blue sky and the trees were green and healthy. Many creatures were milling around, most of them were the cats, Inkans. Most of the tribes were present, all but the Shadows, the dark creatures that reigned over the Shadow Lands. The day was bright, with the sun shining overhead and the blue sky cloudless. A dark cloud settled over the sun and everyone looked up, trying to see what blocked the sun. The ground shook, fire was spitting into the sky, making it black and smokey. The mountain was on fire! The smoke burst into the sky, creating a heavy blanket. A note flew by, it’s contents read… The tribes of Inka, Derets (great desert foxes), Rough (steel-feathered cranes of caves), Inkans (the skilled cats of the forest), and probably the most important to Inka, the Shadows, who feed the fire of life on Inka, without them, the tribes would surely break apart. That day, many were lost, and the tribes broke apart. They were forced to new lands, a new continent. Out of the island they called safe, and into the unknown, ruined cities, of the new Inka. -------------------- Crystals --------------------- Shade burst through the trees, weaving under and over branches and shrubs. She ducked out of the treeline and ran through the empty desert, which, at night, was cool and damp. Her black pelt cut through the shadows, giving her protection from rogues and thieves, as well as predators. She tossed her head, letting her short neck fur ruffle in the breeze, the white helmet shimmered in the moonlight. Shade lept into a small tunnel and winded through the cramped space, her shoulders barely fitting through. She reached the airy opening, panting, she sat down, chest heaving. Two shapes emerged from the darkness, the first, a light brown tom with glowing turquoise eyes, without the black pupils that most cats had. The second, a female cream cat with peppermint eyes and rosy-red stripes. “Oh, Shade, It’s just you.” The white cat called. “We were waiting.” The tom said irritably, flicking his ringed tail. “Pepper, Carmel.” Shade greeted, flicking her torn ear. “I caught a snag getting out here, someone caught me taking the crystals out.” “Hm.” Carmel grunted and shook his head. “Be more careful.” “You know me, Carmel.” Shade blinked. “Heard anything about the Shadows yet?” Pepper cut in. “Yes, one tried to penetrate the shield and make its way in last night.” Shade growled softly. “Those creatures, they’re so disrespectful.” Carmel scoffed. “But how did it even come so close unseen?” Pepper tipped her head, thinking. “It used a crystal, a Tinted one.” Shade hissed, scratching at the helmet, loosening it. “A Tinted crystal! I thought you were the only cat to ever even see one!” Carmel shouted, narrowing his eyes and twitching his ear, causing the floating saturn-like ring to bob. “I guess someone found one, it was a white-tinted, invisibility…” Shade hesitated. “...And, misting.” “Misting? Isn’t that, like, going through walls and stuff.” Pepper asked. “Yes, and it’s very dangerous, to the creature using it, and to the victims.” Carmel huffed. Something clicked, and they all looked up, the starlike gems on the cave ceiling faded, giving way to a quickly-brightening yellow gem. “Um, I think we should go, It’s moondown.” Pepper informed awkwardly. “Yes, c’mon Pepper, let’s go home.” Carmel brushed his tail along Pepper’s side and they disappeared into another tunnel. Shade turned around, glancing at the purple-tinted crystal embedded into her ebony fur and ran in the opposite direction, emerging in the hot desert sun. she unfolded her wings and took off, soaring over the blazing black sand and spiraling into the cloudless sky.
Inka -------------------------- Bristle woke, his green eyes shining. He opened his optics and looked around his small room. Pupils narrowing, he glanced at the yellow light filtering through the bamboo shades covering his only window. His living space was small, the bamboo-and-grass hut had one room and was suspended from the ground only with the vines snaking up the Great Oak, the heart of the Inkan territory. It’s thick branches holding and supporting the many round-hut houses that made up a great population of Inka. The houses were created to the cats didn’t have to live in the city ruins, or in the hot desert just outside the rainforest. The Outside held the predators, rogues, thieves, and even a mass population of Shadows and Dark Cats. Bristle squeezed his eyes shut and shook out his fur, the Outside has become more dangerous as the Tinted Crystals were found, and more each day were discovered. He padded onto the deck, the only outside space on his house. Bristle smoothed the fur on top of his head and jumped, leaping onto the wide branch just below his hut. You had to be creative in Inka. He ran along the branch, jumping yet again onto another. He leapt onto another, not watching how thick it was. His paws hit the thin branch and it swayed under his weight, creaking. He uncurled his claws, digging them in and hugging the branch, stopping it from bouncing. He slowly stood into a crouch and inched across the branch, only leaves and thin air were between him and the forest floor. Bristle placed his paws carefully, just as he was making it towards the broad part of the branch, a Rough exploded through the trees, startling him. The large birds with sharp, steel-like feathers and edged beaks were known to pick off common cats and eat them, or just to carry them to their masters, if they had one. Taming a Rough is difficult, you had to have a heart of stone and claws of iron to do it. The bird swooped, aiming its talons at his legs, a common move. He jumped, careful to jump straight up, and not to scrape his paws on the Rough’s feathers. He landed back on the branch, it finally gave one last crack and Bristle was sent tumbling into the air. Wind whipped his fur and branches slapped his face as he fell, the ground coming closer every second. Suddenly, a shape emerged from a hole in the tree, darting past branches and rocketing closer to him. Bristle’s heart beat hard, blood roaring in his ears. Was it the Rough? Coming to finish him off before his body was broken on the hard dirt? The shape caught him, just feet away from the ground, and they spiraled up through the tree’s leaves. Everything went black.
