An excerpt from Catlition I’ve been looking forward to writing; the history and Fall of my book world. For context, my six main characters plus one young eagle are traveling through the great Desert in the center of my book world. I think this is the longest excerpt I’ve posted.
Or: why my series is called the Restoration Saga.
It was evening and the sands were cooling. Ribbony was relieved that his paws no longer burned when he walked and that the suffocating heat had dissipated from the air. He lifted his head- -And stopped in his tracks. There, rising out of the ground before them like they had grown from the sand itself, were two great pillars. They were as tall as trees, and beside them, stretching as far as Ribbony could see on either side, were broken stones- all that remained of a once great wall. “Look!” he called out. The others lifted their heads and froze. Kit, walking ahead of them, looked back and smiled. Ribbony hesitantly smiled back, still nervous after his chastisement earlier. “What are those?” Dora asked. “They are the ancient doorposts of what was once the greatest kingdom in the whole world,” said Kit. He sat down on a sand dune overlooking the ruined city and waited for the others to join him. When they had he started walking again. “Long ago, when the world was young,” said Kit as they walked towards the ruins. “All creatures got along with one another. There was no resentment, grudges or spite betwixt them, so they worked together the way the White Creature always intended. And they built a kingdom,” Kit’s eyes grew distant and sad. “A beautiful kingdom. It stretched far across the lands, over the Forest and the Swamp, through Snow Country, past the plateau, into the Wofel mountains, all the way to the Valley of Ventargo. Peace reigned. Much that is now lost was learned and loved. Music rang through the streets, scholars learned about the land and wrote all they discovered. Stones, herbs and metals were discovered and catalogued, and all were happy in their work. But they didn’t just work.” They passed under the great doorposts. Ribbony gazed up at them in wonder and sadness. The stone was old and weathered, worn smooth by years of wind and sand. They found themselves in a courtyard full of rubble. Smaller pillars stood here, and in the center was an old well, long dry. Little shoots of tan grass grew between the stones, stubbornly clinging to life. Along the edges of the courtyard were piles of stone and glass and metal where houses and workshops had once stood. “They played,” said Kit, quietly, stopping next to a roundish stone that looked almost like a ball. “Such wonderful games. They wrestled and played with balls, they played games of strategy and games of silliness. The laughter of all creatures rose into the sky and pleased the White Creature- and he laughed with them.” Kit sat in the center of the courtyard and bowed his head. When Ribbony crept up beside him he saw Kit’s tears falling into the sand. “It was beautiful,” said Kit in a whisper that was somehow loud enough for all of them to hear. “It was perfect.” “What happened?” Dora asked, after a long silence. Kit squeezed his eyes shut. “The War of Cats and Dogs. The cats and dogs wanted to see who was more powerful, so they played their games more fiercely and began to make their discoveries about the world in secret. They grew envious of each other’s ideas and gifts and inventions. So one day,” Kit took a shaky breath. “One day, during a game, a cat and a dog fought and each drew blood on the other. As soon as their blood stained the dirt beneath them the ground began to shake. The White Creature’s roar echoed through the world and shook it to its very foundations. His anger caused all creatures to flee in fear and hide. And so the world was cursed to fade and die, because blood had been shed with evil intent. The trees fell, and the grass and flowers withered and died. Dirt became sand, and the sun dried up the ground so nothing could grow. The mountain rivers overflowed their banks and created the Swamp. The most vicious dogs became wolves and fought with the cats and other creatures until blood stained the ground from one end of the world to the other. And then the White Creature cursed the wolves to live in the mountains and set the eagles to keep watch on them.” Ribbony glanced at Cloudfeather, whose head was tilted curiously as she listened. He didn’t dare look at Explorer. “The mountains around Ventargo became cold and desolate and Snow Country grew harsh and hard,” Kit continued. The coast became rife with pirates who served no one but themselves and captured innocent creatures to be slaves. But where those faithful to the White Creature gathered life bloomed, and the curse slowed. The Forest is one such place, and even now it is filled with more life and scattered creatures than anywhere else in the world. But such havens are few and far between.” Kit looked up at the stars that had begun to sparkle in the night sky. “All creatures diminished as well, their lifespans lessened, and their natural talents dulled. Even the dragons grew less powerful and were able to be hunted and killed. The world has grown very dark and very bleak in the centuries since the first blood was spilled.” “You talk about it like you were there,” said Missy, quietly. Kit gazed at her. “I was. I am the son of the White Creature. I was there when the world was formed, and I have seen every moment since.” They were quiet for a long time after that. “But there is hope,” said Kit. Every eye focused on him, all five young cats and one young eagle holding their breaths. “It is said that one day the White Creature will send someone to be a sacrifice, whose blood will spill on ground and restore it, just as blood once cursed it. Then the world will roll towards its end, and when it reaches that end,” Kit gazed out at the ruined courtyard. “The great kingdom will be restored, and all the world with it.” As Ribbony gazed at Kit glowing softly like a star among the ruins he felt a pang of sadness in his heart. Because even though Kit hadn’t said it, Ribbony knew that when Kit spoke of a sacrifice, he meant himself.
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