[WARNING: This post contains allusions pertaining to the idea of kitten mills, animal abuse/neglect, and death. Reader discretion is advised.]
CometClan was not borne out of remarkable or fortunate circumstances. In the heart of a sparse Twoleg-town stood a single house, a cage wherein innocent strays were bred and traded off. Their masters, two middle-aged Twolegs, orchestrated the entire operation, leaving cats victimized and pleading for their freedom. It certainly didnât help that their masters were negligent and cruel.
There was never enough food. Birthing queens were left to fend for themselves, even as they bled out on the carpeted floor of their cramped living space. Those who were foolish enough to attempt escape were met by their mastersâ hands, leaving them bruised, yet obedient.
Elm wondered what awaited him after bearing witness to countless deaths and emotional collapses. Starvation? Trauma inflicted by his masters? Fighting over who was allowed to drink out of the weekly-replenished water bowl first? This was not living. Elm refused to rot in this prison forever. But, with escape being too risky, all he could do was watch the world turn from their singular window and pray for a sign that somethingâ anything âwould change.
A strange light flickered in the night sky. Elmâs eyes burned as a massive star shot across the dark expanse in a blaze of glorious light. It disappeared beyond the horizon mere seconds later, a muted thud rattling the desk he was perched on.
There could be no clearer sign than this.
Elm had to accept that he could not save everyone. Instead, he chose to bring along those who still had a chance of a brighter future: Cinder (who tiptoed the line between child and adult), and the only three kits who had yet to be sold off (Oreo, Cooper, and Lake).
It was easy to convince them of his planâ Lake and Cooper had lost their parents and no longer held any ties to this cursed place, while Cinder and Oreo were already neglected by their still-living kin. Elm knew his plan was reckless and idiotic, but he would rather die attempting to earn back his freedom than live with the knowledge that he gave up.
Elmâs plan was put into motion the following night.
When the house grew dark and the remainder of cats tucked themselves in, Elm quietly ushered his small entourage into the kitchen, where a single window sat cracked open just enough for the cats to sneak away undetected. They had no time to stop and stare in awe at the outside world; their sights were now set on locating the fallen star.
Eventually, after a long and perilous journey into the wilderness, Elm successfully led the group to their new home. This was their calling.
The night they settled into their new environment and laid their weary paws to rest, each cat was visited in their dreams by a crowd of ghostly strangers, starlight weaving through their translucent fur and eyes shining as brilliantly as the blazing star.
âThis is only the beginning,â the spirits declared synchronously. Elm and his party were destined to build a renowned clan from the rubble of their past life, and join forces with others like them whoâve dedicated themselves for much longer.
From then on, they were âCometClanâ.
Their name would honor the message that saved them, as well as their devotion to regain the autonomy they had been stripped of.
May StarClan reward their loyalty for eternity.
[I finally locked in and finished this omg. Anywho, for those who have read my introduction post, welcome to my new blog! My other clan has kinda been put on the back burner for right now, so Iâve been playing this clan a lot recently, and wanna try experimenting with incorporating both art and writing into each post. I hope yâall stick around!]
