#broken ones

[Image ID: Call of Dreams, a tan and black molly, sits in the middle of the scene. Several black silhouettes surround her, all of their eyes watching her. A single star hangs above her head, attached by a string. Call of Dream's face is covered with a black bar. She is crying. End ID]

However, during one of these festivals, a cat from the Colony of Bones stepped forward. Her name was Call of Dreams, and she claimed that the gods had come to her. They warned her of monsters who would attack those who strayed into the light of the sun, and kittens cursed to live in darkness.

The colonies were quick to distrust Call of Dreams. The gods only delivered messages to specific cats, those who were chosen at birth, and even then they only ever communicated through the spirits of the deceased. Never before had a god spoken to a living cat directly. To see the Seasonal Deities in person would be an honour, one which a lawbreaker like Call of Dreams wasn't deserving of. Several months ago she was caught with a house cat, who she would confess to being her spouse. Her colony had lost all trust in her since for this break in the law.

The cats spoke openly of these thoughts, ridiculing her and driving her away from the celebration. Her colony apologized for the outburst, and the festival continued, many forgetting the incident entirely. The warning, however, was very real, and the next dawn the colonies were attacked.

Large and violent creatures crashed through the colonies’ walls, attacking anything they could see. The colonies tried to stand their ground, dozens of cats united in a single battle for survival. But, even then, not a single monster was taken down, and no mercy was shown to the defenders. Survivors were few after the carnage, which would become known as the Dawn of the Final Light, and they ran in fear and terror.

They named these creatures the broken ones, after the tall ones they so closely resembled- creatures that stood on their hind legs, talked in odd voices, shaped and created by a spiteful god who was exiled for their hubris. Surely, the broken ones were another cursed creation, born from the anger of a cruel god?

[Image ID: Talon of Hawk, a tortoiseshell tom with brown eyes, is walking through a dark forest. There is a dead fish in his mouth. End ID]

Soon, the survivors began to rebuild. The broken ones were attracted to the scents and noise of life, but mercifully they slept during the night, allowing life to flourish under the moon. Cats spread across the territory, some simply looking to survive another day, while others sought to find a way to live under the sun once more.

A handful of factions, able to survive by wielding their knowledge of the broken ones to their advantage, rose to power in the absence of the once proud colonies. However, many turned their backs on the new faction’s promises of safety and security.