How Did Cats Get Their Fur?- 2: The Quest

When the Oracle finished her speech, she disintegrated into a pile of dust.  Immediately, chaos erupted.

“Who are these younglings?”

“We’ll get fur!”

“Our lives are at stake!”

“We’ll embark on this quest!”

At this, the crowd fell silent.  Thunder gaped, shocked that his sister had spoken up.  “Lyra!” he hissed.  She ignored him.  “We are littermates,” she mewed, addressing her queen.  “What we’ve never told anyone, it that we are telepathic.  We can read each other’s minds.”  This drew gasps from the crowd.  “‘Our minds are connected,’” she quoted.  “And our souls are just about the same, since we are twins.”

“It’s true,” Star stepped up, her voice only quavering a bit.  “My kits are the right ones to embark on this quest.  They are quick and nimble, smart and adventurous.  They can defeat the dog king.”

Rakira looked at them thoughtfully.  “Ok,” she agreed. “Let these young cats embark on this quest.”  Lyra and Thunder purred a bit nervously.  “Well?”  meowed Queen Rakira.  “What are you waiting for?  Pack all the things you need, and you may start!”

“Yes, Queen Rakira,” Lyra and Thunder chorused, and they scampered off.  The crowd began to thin out, but nobody saw a dark cloaked figure run off towards the Doglands...

Star hurried home to find her kittens packed and ready.  “We have food, water, and cloaks,” Thunder informed her.  “And money.”

“We’re ready to go,” added Lyra.  Star purred lovingly, and gave them a goodbye lick.  “You know where to go,” she meowed.  “Good luck with your quest, and make sure you feed yourself properly!”  

Thunder and Lyra meowed their goodbye’s and left their safe, warm house.  As soon as they got outside, Lyra shivered.  <Let’s travel quickly,> she thought.  <The night will be cold, and I want to find a warm place to stay.>  So they hurried on their way and reached an inn right next to the River of Separation, a river dividing the territories of the cats and dogs.

Lyra and Thunder entered the inn.  There were all cats, except for one heavily cloaked figure that sat in a corner, and reeked of dog.  Thunder noticed that the corner was fairly empty of cats.

Ignoring the scorching glare of the cloaked dog, Lyra padded up to the counter and asked for a room.  “Room Thirteen is open,” grunted the inn manager.  “Go right on up.”  Thunder threw two coins onto the counter, and followed Lyra up the stairs.

They found that a note was taped to the door:  “I know who you are, and I am not your enemy.  Meet me at the horse stables at midnight.  I will help you on your quest.”  Lyra stared at the note.  “Well, there’s not much we can do,” she mewed.  “I guess we’ll have to meet this stranger.”

<Yes,> Thunder agreed, thinking. <But we’d better get some rest.  I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.>

How Did Cats Get Their Fur?- 1: The Prophecy

How Did Cats Get Their Fur?

Many moons ago, on the planet Animala, which would later evolve into Earth, there lived all the animals of the world.

Of those animals, there were dogs, and there were cats.  The cats lived in the small bustling village of Catsville, and the dogs roamed the large country called Dogland.  At that time, dogs had fur, and cats did not.  So while dogs looked sleek and elegant, cats were hairless and ugly.  The cats envied the dogs.

King Nakura of the dogs took advantage of this.  He told the cats he would give them fur if they help him conquer all of the animals.  So the cats helped the dogs, and soon the dogs ruled all the animals of the land.  Soon, Rakira, queen of cats, reminded King Nakura that he promised to give them fur.  But he just laughed and said, “You believed that?  You actually thought I would give you fur?  You cats are just a useless tool, something to help me rise to power!”  And with that, he hit Rakira with a heavy paw, and injured her leg so that she could never walk right again.

The cats were angry, and they fought the dogs, hissing and spitting.  But the dogs forced the other animals they conquered to fight the cats.  Many lives were lost, but the dogs just looked on, undaunted, from their fortress.

Slowly, the cats retreated.  They knew they were fighting a losing battle.  They were nearly in Catsville when Nakura allowed the animals he controlled to go back to Dogland.

Bast, the cat goddess, felt sorry for the cats.  She decided to help them get fur, so she sent an oracle cat to Catsville, who bore a prophecy for a quest, in which two young cats journey to defeat Nakura, proving themselves and earning their fur.

During this all, littermates Lyra and Thunder were hiding in an underground tunnel beneath the battlefield.  They were supposed to be hiding in their house, but they were curious and wanted to at least hear the battle, if they couldn’t see it.

Suddenly, they heard Rakira yowl, “Retreat!” and they heard the thundering of paws that signaled the cat warriors were returning to Catsville.  Thunder tried to speak, but Lyra whipped her tail across his mouth, telling him to be silent.  

<Let’s go.>  Lyra thought the words to Thunder, using their secret telepathic skill.

Quietly, they hurried back through the underground passage to their cellar, where they curled up and pretended that they were there the whole time.  They arrived just in time.

Two heartbeats after Lyra and Thunder returned home, their mother, Star, hurried  down the steps to check on them.  “Quick,” she mewed.  “Queen Rakira called a meeting.  There seems to be a mysterious cat that arrived during the battle, and she bears a prophecy.”  

Excited, Lyra and Thunder scampered after their mother to the Cat Hall, where important meetings were held.  When they arrived, a crowd had already gathered.  Lyra saw a blue furred cat sitting in the middle of it, her fur glowing slightly green.  Lyra and Thunder pushed their way to the front of the crowd and saw that their queen was sitting in front of the mysterious cat.  Thunder stared into the Oracle’s unnaturally scarlet eyes, sinking into their depths.  She seemed to stare right through him, then she switched her gaze to Lyra.  And she opened her mouth to speak:

“Two younglings shall embark 

on a dangerous quest,

Their souls are one, 

Their minds connected.

They shall journey to the

Cave of Nakura,

Defeat the king

Of the dogs

With a rebel

As their guide, 

They kill the king

With tooth and claw

Return home

Victorious,

Their fur shall

Appear at once

Unite the dogs

And the cats

Become friends

For the time being

Die, or fail,

At this quest,

Cats shall disappear

Forever.”