The Shadow Cats

[Arissa Warrner]

this is a story I'm working on.

Prologue
Long ago there was a evil sorcerer named Ssrucau(Su-sraw-ku)
He used his powers to try and take over the Kingdom of Caturefoux. He had armies at his disposal.The armies attacked towns and villages for some unknown reason they took more prisoners than they killed. Then he unveiled his secret. He had used his magic to mix the life force of black northern motion cats with the prisoners.They where Shadow Cats. Built like humans with the feachers of cats,they where black and grey in color and they had cat-like ears, tails, and shades of black and grey fur. the Shadow cats where fearsome fighters.they where suppose to obey orders perfectly, but unknown to Ssrucau the prisoners he had used in there creation had given them a sense of freedom.In the peak of a battle, when it looked like Caturefoux's depleted army was going to fall, the Shadow Cats turned on the sorcerer's army, then they turned on Ssrucau himself killing him. for many years the Caturefoux people and the Shadow Cats lived in peace.Then a man named Areso(uh-ri-see-o) gathered an army to him and drove the Shadow Cats out. He then took over the kingdom ruling if from the palace. In secret a small force gathers determined to kill Areso and bring the Shadow Cats back. They came to be known as the Shadow Cat's Gang(SCG).They worked hard harassing the Blues(as Areso's army had came to be known because of there blue uniforms)whenever they got a chance. So the years went by and the fighting continued
Chapter 1
Wolfwood blinked and get out of bed. Moonlight streamed through a high window onto the faces of his compains. Fellow members of the Shadow Cat's Gang(SCG). wolfwood slipped out the door. He had been picked by Sharcry to ferry a message between the SCG and the Shadow Cats(SC). Sharcry was the SCG's leader the best the group had ever had. Wolfwood knocked on Sharcry's office door.
" Come in Wolfwood." Sharcry said through the door. Wolfwood opened the door and walked in.
" How do you always know if its me?" he asked. Sharcry raised his eyebrows.
" You knock different. Besides who else would be up at this hour?" he said. Wolfwood coulden really think of anyone.
" Do you have the message for me?" Wolfwood asked.
" Wolfwood what a silly question." Sharcry said handing Wolfwood the piece of parchment and put it in a belt pouch.
" Thank you. If that's all I'll be off then." Sharcry nodded a good by.Wolfwood left the office and went back to the dorm. He grabbed his sythestaff, and adaption of the scythe that was used in the fields set on a long pole. He walked to the front entrance.
~ ~ ~
Kerse stood stock-still. Though Areso was getting on in years As it had been many years since he had taken over Caturefoux, he was still powerful. Kerse had been picked by his commander to fallow the SCG member who was taking a message to the SCs stronghold high in the Sressrcara Mountains. He was picked because he was one of the best trackers in Areso's army. Areso nodded though fully. He turned to Kerse's commander
"Good choice. Inform him of the rules." Aresoturned and walked out of the room.
" Alright then" Kerse's commanded said"Number One: remember your job is to track, not to fight, do not engage in a fight. Number Two: If you get caught don't talk. Am I clear?"
" Yes Sir." Kerse said.Kerse's commander turned and left the same way Areso had. Kerse relaxed when he walked out. Don't talk or fight, ha. He hadn't ever been good at fighting and highly doubted that he would have a chance to talk if he was caught. He walked down to the supplies room and collected his things. Kerse then headed toward the north gate.

Wolfwood watched the small blue figurer as it made east along the side of the moutians. It was easy enough to lose the tracker by using on old false trail. He turned and headed up the moutians headed toward the S.C place.
~~~
Karce was angry at himself. He should of known that it was a false trail. Karce had almost ended up stepping in quicksand. " Why, why, why!" he shouted at himself. He walked back up to where he had turned and looked up. There! he found the small grey figure climbing up the mountainside. Now all he had to do was to catch up.

[anasa]

w00t! (btw, Arissa, I FINALLY found that missing page! XD)

[Arissa Warrner]

((yay!))

[Arissa Warrner]

((and we all thank Anasa for this))
Wolfwood tensed as he heard a noise behind him. He blinked and listened sharply as he walked along. Yes, there were footsteps behind him. He adjusted his grip slightly on his scythe staff. Suddenly, he spun around.
Kerce, who was in the open, froze. Wolfwood charged his scythe staff upraised. Kerce stepped back and barely blocked the downswing of Wolfwood’s scythe-staff with his hiking staff. Wolfwood smiled slightly. He saw fear in Kerce’s dark eyes and features, and felt inexperience as the Blue blocked his swing.
Wolfwood stepped back and pretended to prepare to swing at Kerce’s head. He brought his traveling staff up. Wolfwood used the blunt end of his scythe-staff to trip Kerce. Kerce dodged as Wolfwood brought the end of his staff down upon his head. He jumped up and ran the way Wolfwood was headed.
Wolfwood laughed. The Blue was headed right towards a shadow cat net trap. Chasing after Kerce, he kept Kerce headed toward the trap.
Kerce ran on, dodging the swipes from Wolfwood’s scythe-staff. When they first started, Kerce felt as though he was actually getting away. Now, he felt like he was being herded. It was too late to stop when he noticed the four stakes stuck in the ground in a square.
The next thing Kerce knew, he was hanging in a net about ten feet off of the ground.
“It thought I was faster then that,” Wolfwood said, his back pressed against Kerce’s. Kerce hoped that Wolfwood wouldn’t realize the situation he was in. There was a rope pressed against his throat, and if the Shadow Cat Gang member pressed back, he could choke him.
“We’ll just wait and the shadow cats will get us down,” Wolfwood said. What if I don’t want to meet the shadow cats? Kerce thought. Wolfwood, listening to the way the Blue was moving, figured one of the ropes were up against his throat or chest. He shoved backwards suddenly.
There was a muffled cry and Kerce pushed back. Wolfwood relaxed. Kerce gasped and pulled the rope away from his throat, giving him breathing room. The Shadow Cats Gang member could now strangle him and there was nothing he could do to stop him! Kerce waited for Wolfwood to push back again. A few moments went by and nothing happened. Kerce was confused. If it were him, he would have taken the opportunity. He jumped when Wolfwood spoke.
“I can see you, Mareice, you small excuse for a shadow cat,” he called. Kerce couldn’t turn his head to see who Wolfwood was talking to, but he could see various shadow cats stepping out of the shadows.
“What happened, Wolfwood? Did the Blue chase you into our net-trap?” came a mocking female voice.
“No, I chased him. Now, will you let us down?” Wolfwood said.
“Sure, be quick,” Mareice said. Kerce scrambled as the net dropped and he fell through the air. He hit the ground hard, knocking the breath from his lungs, but he rolled a little ways. Wolfwood laughed. When the net opened on one side, he grabbed trhe net and put his feet in two gaps. He easily jumped down.
Kerce went to get up but found two straswa blade ends at his chest. Straswa were long blades set on a handle. They were made of a special wood as black as ebony. The edges were sharp as any blade and they never dulled or broke. Kerce looked at the two shadow cats holding the straswar. One grinned at him and laughed. Kerce turned his head and looked at Wolfwood. He was standing next to a small female shadow cat.
“So, how are you doing, Wolfwood? Where did ya pick him up at?” she said, nodding at Kerce.
“I’m doing good. I picked him up at the foothills,” Wolfwood said. The shadow cat raised her eyebrow. Wolfwood shrugged.
Kerce suddenly remembered where he had heard Mareice before. The small shadow cat was a high captain of the shadow cat army. I’ve really messed up, Kerce thought. Mareice looked at him and walked over. Wolfwood raised an eyebrow.
“What are you doing, Mareice?” he asked.
“Something,” Mareice said. Kerce shrunk down, but at the same time, tried not to look scared. Mareice looked down at him. She then smiled at Wolfwood, revealing sharp white fangs, and said, “Arissa.”
Kerce looked at Wolfwood. Wolfwood looked back at him, then at Mareice.
“Yes, maybe,” he said. Mareice said something in the shadow cat language, sort of a mixed “mroww purr” noise. Kerce found himself being picked up by the shadow cats and put on his feet. Mareice took his dagger, the only other weapon he had besides his hiking staff which was now being held by a shadow cat. Kerce stood there, too scared to try to run, looking from Wolfwood to the shadow cats, wondering who or what Arissa was.



Wolfwood walked down the dimly lit throne room and bowed to the shadow cat queen and king. The queen rose out of her bowl shaped chair.
“Wolfwood, you know you don’t have to do that,” she said. Wolfwood smiled and said, “It is only polite, Queen Souercot. Besides, I have to be all formal before I give my message.”
“Oh, right,” the shadow cat king said, also rising.
“Shassora, you silly cat, you know that,” Queen Souercot said, laughing. She looked around and saw Kerce, who was standing between two shadow cats. Solercat raised her eyebrows in interest and surprise.
“Now, who’s this?” she asked. Kerce stared at the floor silently, hoping that there wouldn’t be too much interest in him.
“Him? He followed me from the foothills. Mareice thought that Arissa might like to see him,” Wolfwood smiled. Kerce glanced at him, still mad at him for the false trail, but still too scared of the shadow cats to say anything. Queen Souercot studied him for a moment.
“Arissa might like to see him. So, what’s Sharcry want this time?” she asked, turning back to Wolfwood.
“Okay, hold on a second,” Wolfwood said, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket.
“To Queen Souercot and King Shassora of the Shadow Cats:

Progress has been made on the weakening of His Idiotness Areso’s defences of the castle. In about four weeks, we can begin our attacks.”
Kerce’s eyes widened.
“The only thing left to do is remove most of the Shadow Cats Gang to your home. We also need more yarkaden.
Yours,
Sharcry, leader of the Shadow Cats Gang.”

Wolfwood returned the paper to his pocket.
“Well, that was informative,” King Shassora said, “We’ll discuss it more later. In the mean time…Roragone?”
“Yes, sir?” a female shadow cat stepped out of the shadows by a door.
“Go and get Arissa and Vemestorm and tell them to come here, will you?” Shassora said. Roragone nodded and left through the door. Kerce looked up and scanned the room. The bowl shaped chairs that served as thrones were set back in a square shaped extension in the wall. Above that was set the tusks or horns of some great animal. They were white and shone in the dark room around them. The room itself had pillars carved out of the wall going down each side with doors leading to other rooms. All of it was black or gray with a lamp of some rock that glowed serving as the only lighting.

[anasa]

I lurvs your writing, Burani. The plots are so unique and cool.

[Arissa Warrner]

thanks

[anasa]

My favorite character is Vemestorm, just because of the way that she talks.