• Closed • Cat's Eye Sapphire

[Qit'ria]

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Cylus 5th, 718
“This is the story of the small fishing village of Meownmar…”

The feline’s eyes opened, accompanied by a yawn. She stretched out, her powerful muscles flexing and uncoiling, her back arched and tail held high. The sun was erasing the fog of the tiny town that was built upon the docks. She loved the feeling of it warming her fur, as she finally cracked her eyes open. The town was perfection for her, there was always plenty of extra fish to eat, no predators, and everyone was forced to tolerate her kind. It was the religious law.

The small, grey tabby hopped down from the barrel that was her latest bed, thumping lightly against the dock below. Looking around, she wondered what she’d do today. Perhaps she’d visiting the Floating Sanctum, or go flying with her Soarca friend Fellywhal. It didn’t matter, every day gave her the ability to do as she saw fit.

Walking over the boards, carved from the trees of the massive forest that was inland, she peered out over the crystal blue waters. She saw a school of her favorite fish, the Topaz Darts, flying about lazily through the air. A satisfied mew escaped her maw, and a gleam could be seen in her eyes. The mighty huntress leapt down from the dock, and landed upon the surface of the waters in complete silence, not sending out even the tiniest of ripples.

And she watched the school, and waited for the bright yellow fish to turn across her path. And when they did, she sprinted at them, jumped up through the middle of their numbers, snagging a fat one right out of the middle in her razor sharp teeth. She landed with ease on the slow surf, holding the wriggling fish as she enjoyed the bob and flow of the water beneath her paws.

Victorious the proud tabby returned to the docks, looking for her favorite place to eat her catch. She mosied along, unable to decide which of her many favorite spots to go with. She was about to pass the door of a hut, when she realized that she’d not visited a friend of hers in a while. She snuck through the open door, hopping up on her old friend’s table, dropping the fish, looking around the multi-roomed structure.

She meowed loudly. That was quickly followed, “Hello? Anyone home?”

[Juniper]

Juniper

Night of Cylus 5th, 718

A kitten, too small for a mother to love stirred in the windowsill. Having been sunbathing. Her fur blacker than night as she opened one of her golden eyes. Letting her head rise, she yawned and blinked as she looked to her friend with a smile.

“Smells like a good catch. Though, knocking next time might be better.” After the words came a soft purr. Her tail flitting back and forth as she stood on all fours and stretched out before jumping down and padding towards her friend with one of the biggest smiles you could imagine on a cat so small.

“What brings you? Been so long.” Jun’Perri flitted her tail, letting it touch her friends nose. “I worried something you ate tried to eat you instead.” The kit chuckled and started walking out the door.

She was hungry herself, using her tail, she motioned for her friend to follow her. She would have to hunt later though. It was time to stretch her legs and talk with her friend. Her ears flicked as she waited for her friend to follow.

When an answer was also given she smiled again. “We can do anything you like today!”

She flexed her claws and then licked her paws. “Though, I’ll need to eat myself. Seem like a good day for catching fish? Smells like you had some luck.” She tilted her head at her friend and her ears flicked again.

The kit stood at maybe a third of her friends height, extremely small, almost scarily so. No wonder her mother had abandoned her. Jun’Perri had been lucky to find Meownmar. And was even luckier to find it as a home. She sat there patiently, waiting.

[Qit'ria]

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Qit’reowwerr looked over at her refugee friend in the window and dipped her shoulders, her tail lightly waving, the cat equivalent of a smile. Many a cat from all over the world found themselves lost and abandoned, but all somehow managed to get to Meownmar. It was a sanctuary. There were plenty of other beings here, all living in harmony with catkind.

Qit devoured into her fish noisily, never having been one for manners. Those were for the politicats. When she was finished, she licked up the mess, and carried the bones in her mouth, dropping them in the water. All waste returned back to the ocean that fed them, to continue the cycle.

Once finished, she smiled at her friend, “We’ll grab a bite on our way. I think it’s time we visit the Sky Sapphire.”

The deviousness in her voice was apparent. Everyone knew the Sky Sapphire. It was a massive iceberg that floated out over the bay they lived in, visible from the village. It never seemed to melt, and was the deepest blue hue. Many a cat prayed to it, others feared it. And no one ever went there. No one was even really sure how to get there, being a hundred meters in the air over the water.

Waterwalking came easily to most cats. But none could fly. Just wasn’t in their nature. But Qit’reowwerr had always been a bit of a daredevil. People still sometimes brought up the time she scared off a hammertail shark from the village.

Nothing was known about the Sky Sapphire. Not what it was made of, where it came from, what it did, or what was on it. It simply appeared twenty arcs ago, and never moved since. She leapt effortless up to where her friend sat, and rubbed her head against Juni.

“Let’s go.”

She would not be stayed. Qit leapt out the window onto the crates, down to the docks, and onto the water. With a chuckle, she began to run out into the bow, leaping over the cresting waves as they approached. The Sky Sapphire shone brilliantly over the bay, twinkling down at them. There were many fish, serpents, sea iguanas, sea mammals, turtles, and the like flying about, some diving down into the waters to feed. The coral beneath them was an endless kaleidoscope of color.

Looking all about, she knew how she wanted to get up there. It was brilliantly simply. She’d only spent months thinking it up. With a mighty mreooooooow, she leapt upward as a Dolflier left the water. Qit landed on it’s back, digging her claws deep. The beast with its thick skin felt no pain, and continued to swim about.

“Grab one Juni!”

[Juniper]

Juniper

Night of Cylus 5th, 718

Jun looked to Qit and purred. “You always are up to something.” She padded after Qit, taking her time, she wasn’t one to waste energy, and at her size she wasn’t going to keep up with Qit anyways.

She was a darkness, a stain upon the land, none looked like her, yet, none would question her presence. She was still feline. She made it to the docks with good time, and padded out onto the water.

Flicking her tail she looked around, Dolflier’s were normally together in small schools. She would be able to find one. She gave her body one more stretch and waited patiently, setting her body in a ready position. She had to get ready to run and jump.

Just then, her eyes flew to one direction, her tail flicking again and she adjusted her position. She started running before the group of four Dolflier hopped out of the water at the same time. With a powerful jump she bounced off the side of one, did a backflip and landed on top of one that had jumped higher. Immediately sinking her claws into its back.

She giggled, mrowing at Qit. “You are wild!” She looked around, holding on with all her might. “I can’t believe I managed this!” She looked like a kitten that had just gotten a huge bag of catnip for her birthday. As they headed towards the Sky Sapphire, the little black kitten watched the waters, knowing other fish liked to jump with the Dolfliers on occasion.

“What next… Wild Qit!” The black kitten was amused, her tail flicking back and forth, ready for anything Qit threw her way.

[Qit'ria]

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Qit really didn’t have a plan beyond this in all honesty. She wasn’t really a planning type. Instead, she was reowing loudly as the wind whipped through her fur. Flying was great! The dolflier was so fast, leaping about playfully. It was a shame fish couldn’t speak. But luck was on their side, as the school of dolfliers was playing a game, where they raced after one another, and then booped each other with their snoots.

And Juni’s was ‘it’, chasing after Qit’s mount. Her ride was clicking and whistling in glee, as it flew over the Sky Sapphire. Qit didn’t even look down. She just took a leap of faith. She was a mighty feline, they always landed on their feet, alive.

She dove into the winds, body and tail straight like a javelin, racing toward the surface, to be the first cat ever to walk upon its surface. There was a flat area beneath her, so as she came close, she used her cat ability of always landing safely to come to a halt on the ground in pure silence. No pain, no injury. It was one of many reasons why cats were the perfect beings.

She looked up to see how Juni was coming along. Then she looked back around, her grey ears twitching, searching for anything of interest. It looked like ice, but was not cold. Was it an actual sapphire? She thwapped the ground with a paw, and a cacophany of colors, purples mostly, echoed out from where she struck, reverberating all through the gem.

Bending down, she looked closely, seeing a human reflection looking back at her. Some dark haired woman with fierce eyes. It was the strangest thing. Why would she be a lowly human? They were so inferior. She thwapped the ground again, and the human’s face became another’s, lighter of skin, shorter of hair, a snarl upon her face.

A thought invaded her mind. “Daughter of Raskalarn” She shook her head. That made no sense. That name meant nothing to her. She stopped looking at the weird reflections, wandering off around a crystal outcropping. She was a bit disappointed. It just seemed to be a giant gemstone. She expected more.

As she came back around from behind the rock, she looked for Juni, not realizing she was no longer a feline, but rather a large, red-brown boar. She clopped around, her tail swishing senselessly, her tusks massive and curved. Her hunger was increased greatly. And the Sapphire had changed color, from the deep ocean blue to a vibrant red, becoming a Ruby. In a much more nasally voice, “Juni?”

[Juniper]

Juniper

Night of Cylus 5th, 718

As she flew over the Sapphire, she jumped, landing just as softly as her companion had. She was confused by what she’d seen of her friend. And surprised when she saw her friend change form. She blinked and then looked down at the crystal’s surface herself.

Reaching, she pawed the now ruby surface softly, oranges and yellows echoing out from her batting paw, what she finds in her reflection is a tiny tree person. Tiny as her. She blinks and looks up.

She was right here, she hadn’t moved, but then she looked down again. Moving to go forward, finding yet another form in her eyes, two tree people. She blinked. Mother and father? But, she was a cat was she not?

She sat on the Ruby’s surface and looked up at her friend. “Qit… is that.. You?” She looked at the boar, confusion upon her face as she went to lick her paw, only to find that she had grown bigger and it was now a tallon. She looked at her reflection once more. A bird of prey? But why was she one of those?

Was this the power of the crystal? Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn’t, but there was nothing that could be for sure as it was hard to tell.

After a moment she looked to Qit. “We’ve.. Changed form.. But why? Why am I bigger now? Why do I have wings?” She looked around. Nothing but the crystal and the sea around them. That and in the distance, their home.

She now picked at her feathers and then fluttered her wings in frustration. “What is this? Why are we like this? Why must we change?” She squawked and hopped around. The Ruby responding with a rainbow of ripples with every time she landed on her talons.

The kit… well no, she was no longer a kitten. The bird, that was what she was, she was afraid, afraid for herself and her friend, for what if they could never have their forms back. She looked at Qit again, trying to calm down, trying to see how her friend was coping with the change.

[Qit'ria]

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"What are you--"

Qit'ria looked down and saw the boar looking back at her, and she leapt backward in surprise. "I'm a pig! A pig Juni!" Her voice was one of excited wonder. She'd never been anything other than a cat, had never even considered it a possibility to be anything else. This was great! She shook her head, feeling the jowls of her neck shake with it, and practically fell over in laughter. Qit rolled over on her fat belly, onto her muscular back. She kicked her hooves all about, flipping her tail all about.

Rolling over, she got her hooves beneath her and stood up. She mosied over to Juni, who was some sort of bird now. "You can fly! So lucky!" Qit moved to nuzzle against Juni before stopping a hair's breadth from goring the cat turned bird. "Oh, right, I have tusks now." She turned away from her friend, and set off in a charge. She bolted so quickly, her acceleration much faster than when she'd been a feline.

And the edge of the crystal came so much faster than expected. She tried to put her claws down to stop, but there were no claws, so there was no stopping. Qit'ria turned back and Juni could see her wide, scared eyes as she slid over the edge. And began the fall. As the air raced past, Qit's fear changed once again to elation. "Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

The cat turned pig plummeted heavily, snorting nonstop as she laughed the whole way down. Only an instant before it happened, Qit realized the water was coming up to meet her, eyes once more the size of saucers. Then her rump broke through the surface, and a splash erupted upward in her wake. Qit opened her eyes under the water, surprised that she was still alive. Looking all about her, she could, for the first time in her life, see the water from within it. She had been born with water walking like most cats, so she could never swim.

And swam she did. Or as best as a boar could. She trotted in place and slightly propelled forward and upward. Her head broke through the surface and she sucked in a deep breath. "Juni! You gotta try this!" She continued to piggy paddle about, wondering what special ability boars had. All creatures here had one, and cats had been waterwalking. She was pretty sure dogs was the ability to eat anything that other animals or people could eat, and not get sick. But she didn't care for dogs, so that could just be a rumor.

[Juniper]

Juniper

Night of Cylus 5th, 718

She smiled, knowing what the other had wanted to do, understanding fully. Though she wasn't sure why her friend was jealous of her form that was capable of flight. The feathers seemed like more of a hassle to clean, though, she supposed that it would be hard to clean oneself with tusks too.

"Wait, Qit!" She flew after her friend as she started running. Her flight easily capable of keeping up with the boars speed.

"Wait! Slow down or!" But it was too late, Qit's full speed was to much for her to slow down from. She froze for a moment in the air. Just flapping her wings to keep her afloat. She looked at her wings and down at her falling friend.

Would she die? Would she be okay? She didn't know but she had to do something. Instinctively she closed her wings and allowed herself to fall forward, diving straight down after her friend. The splash of her friends landing just barely started settling as Juni got really close to the water. Instinct again taking over and she opened her wings and fanned out her tail, allowing her to sharply propel herself away from the waters edge, barely touching it with her talons.

She started laughing with excitement as she flew just above the water's surface in circles. Going higher and lower, making ripples in the water. Watching as her reflection turned into a kaleidoscope upon the water's surface. She screeched happily and flew straight up in the air and twirled before flying over to her friend.

"I don't think the water is good for my wings." She chuckled. "Instinct is telling me not to." She flapped her wings some more. "You want to go back or want to find a way up to the Sapph... Ruby?" She looked at her friend.

[Qit'ria]

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"Let's go home, stay like this for a while. I don't wanna change back yet, if we can. And well, if we can't, then no point in wasting time now huh?"

The boar watched with wonderment as her friend was fluttering about, it was so strange and delightful, like the old saying, "...when cats fly." Now she could say she knew a flying cat, and whoever thought it would be Juni, the adorable little runt. It was nice, Juni could fly back up to the sapphire turned ruby any time she wished. Qit wasn't sure how she would get back. She was pretty sure her form didn't have the grace and light step to be able to get back up there the same we she had previously.

But that was a worry for a different day. For now, she was enjoying the crisp, warm embrace of the ocean against her skin. It was so strange, as a cat, she'd never had any desire to swim, and wasn't even sure how to 'turn off' her water walking ability, if such a thing was possible. But this was just lovely, even if as a creature that wasn't suited as a water critter.

Her hooves moved along rhythmically, but her fat, buoyant body kept her at the surface rather easily. She didn't worry about having to breathe, as it was as simple as looking upward. The hog swam toward the village, and while she received a bunch of stares from the always nosy cat brethren, she ignored it. She knew they were both judgmental and jealous, for she'd been just like that as well. She was proud of the skin she was in, even if it wasn't her normal one. Muttering to Juni, "Let's keep who we are to ourselves... We don't need everyone doing this too. What if its limited and runs out before we ever change back?"

Upon reaching the beach, she stepped on out, and on instinct, shook her body clear of water from snout to tail. Very uncatlike. Good. She wasn't a cat now. Then a heavenly scent drifted past her nose, one she had never noticed before. She took in several deep breaths, snorting as pigs do in the process. It was so earthy and delicious smelling. And she immediately began following it, not heading out to the wooden docks and platforms over the waters where the cats lived, but to the edge of the woods, where many of the other creatures lived.

There, on the back side of a house, there was a compost bin. A human used it for putting their uneaten food, had something to do with farming. Qit sauntered up to it, tearing a wall off easily with a slap of her tusks, and began to eat into the treasure trove of slop, rot, and other old food. It was the best thing she'd ever eaten, and she ate it loudly, sloppily. As she did, she heard what sounded like one of those religious zealots at the nearby temple preaching. Probably a rat. Sounded high pitched like one, and they were always worshiping something and going on about doom and gloom.

"The sapphire has turned to blood! It will be the end of us! Our death is coming! We must give sacrifices to the crystal lest we make it angrier!" Qit listened to it while feasting on her buffet but put no stock on it. Religious nut jobs were always searching for a reason to be unhappy. Qit much rather preferred to eat, sleep, and explore, and be happy and comfortable, just as she was right now, neck deep in this filth.

[Juniper]

Juniper

Night of Cylus 5th, 718

As a bird, she was easily able to keep up with her friend. She understood her friends wish to stay as they were. Change was a powerful thing. Wanting to change oneself was one of Juni's core problems. Wanting to seek change, always looking for it. Though now that she had what she'd asked for, she wasn't sure she was happy with it. Sure it was change, but was it the change that she'd been seeking? Or was there something else out there for her. She didn't know.

Shaking her head a bit, she landed next to her friend as she got onto dry land. Laughing a bit as some of the water got splashed onto her. The next thing said to her by her friend both worried her and made sense.

"Of course, we'll wait till we know if we can change back." She nodded and started waddling down the path with her friend. She wasn't as lithe as before. Her movement's didn't flow right unless she flew. She didn't like that. But for now, she could deal with that as cats all around were staring at them. She kept her head up, trying to stay proud. Though at the same time, something about this just made her nervous. Maybe because, even as a bird of prey, she could still be made prey herself.

However when her friend started feeding on literal trash, she had to stop herself from gagging. As a cat, neither of them would even have thought to do so. Food, that was something she would have to figure out as a bird of prey. She was going to have to... kill other animals. She frowned at this thought. Not that fish weren't other animals it was just... she wasn't sure how to put it. Something about it felt wrong. She shook her head and just listened and watched as the sky slowly faded back into night.

The day coming to an end. She helped Qit find a place to stay for the night. Staying nearby in a tree, as a look out as well as to catch her own rest. This day had been a long one. And both were clearly ready for it to end. Different hopes lingering in their minds as the slipped to the next world.