#ribbony

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

Another excerpt from Catlition for you, this time featuring part of a battle scene. Warning for peril, scary images and blood (it’s not graphic, my books are rated PG, but have a warning anyway. Mostly I just wanted to use ‘scary images’)

           Finally, night fell, and the fortress grew still.            Ribbony, his siblings, and Kit, waited on the wall, watching the woods for any sign of the wolf army. All around the fortress Rendalawo’s army stood, waiting, a ring protecting those inside.            Then, movement.            There, in the shadows along the edge of the woods, Ribbony could see shapes slinking. They flowed, smooth as a river, across the fields before Rendalawo and formed a long line to the door of the fortress.            It was too dark to properly count them, but Ribbony saw the line stretch from a few tail lengths in front of Rendalawo’s gate all the way back to the edge of the Forest. His heart pounded so hard that it throbbed down into his paws and rose up into his throat as a low growl. He was afraid, and itching for a fight. He hated this. Hated the waiting. He wanted to use his nervous energy for something useful- and killing wolves would certainly be useful.            Then, as one he saw the wolves lift their heads towards the starless sky. They let out one, long howl; an eerie, chilling sound, amplified by the hundreds. Ribbony heard creatures start to mutter and whimper around him.            Anger rose up inside him, drowning out his own fear. The wolves were trying to scare them, demoralize them before the attack even started.            Well, he wasn’t going to let them.            Even as he thought this one of the wolves stepped forward. He was bigger than the others, and even blacker than the night around him.            “Rendalawo,” called the wolf, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife. “I am Cogg, the Wolfking, and I have come to make you mine. Surrender now and I will spare your creatures from a bloody end.”            “We will never surrender to you,” Koja’s voice rang out loud and clear. “The wolves will never be the masters of Rendalawo, or the Forest. Go back to your mountains where you belong.”            Koja’s words seemed to give the creatures around him courage. A muffled cheer rang out that Ribbony and his Catlition quickly took up. Soon the whole fortress seemed to be roaring its defiance of the Wolfking’s demand.            The cheer faded, and in its place came a coarse, mocking laughter. The Wolfking had thrown back his head, howling in amusement. His army followed suit, and Ribbony suppressed a shudder at the terrible sound.            “Your arrogance will be your undoing,” said Cogg. “If this is your choice then you will all die, slaughtered in defense of your foolish hopes.”            “Our arrogance,” hissed Dora. “He’s one to talk.”            Ribbony muttered his agreement but didn’t take his eyes off the Wolfking. Cogg turned and walked back into the sea of his army, until Ribbony couldn’t see him in the dark anymore.            The wolves began to howl and chant, the cacophony of noise reawakening Ribbony’s anger. Suddenly, torches sprang to life in the army below them, and Rendalawo could see its foes. There were hundreds of them, stretching out like a blight in all directions. In their midst Ribbony saw war machines rumbling along. Worried whispers and whimpers increased around him and Ribbony could take it no longer.            “Catlition song on three,” he said. He looked at the others and they nodded, eyes wide. “One, two…”

           “OH WE ARE THE BRAVE!

           OH WE ARE THE FEARLESS!

           WE STAND TRUE

           FOR ALL THAT IS GOOD!

           WE FEAR NONE

           FOR NONE EVER CHALLENGE US!

           ONCE THEY SEE OUR BRAVERY

           THEY ALL FLEE IN FEAR

           CATLITION! CATLITION!

           WHAT A WONDERFUL CALL!

           CATLITION! CATLITION!

           IT IS OUR BATTLE CRYYYYYYY!”

            When the song ended they sang it again, and this time the creatures around them joined in. By the fourth time the song was being shouted from all the walls of Rendalawo. Their song drowned out the wolves’ howls and chants, and Ribbony even saw a few of the ones nearby looking confused.            ‘Did they think we would just give up?’ he wondered.            And then-            Fire flew over Ribbony’s head. He ducked, yowling on instinct. Whipping around he saw a fireball land on the midst of the defenders on the lawn. There were shouts, and within moments the fire was out.            Before they had time to congratulate themselves half a dozen more of the flaming balls were launched over the walls. The fire-fighters rushed to put them out and-            “Ribbony!”            Ribbony was shoved to the side as a grappling hook landed where he had been standing a second before. Dora stood half on top of him, fur fluffed up and eyes wide.            “Pay attention you idiot!” she said, and he heard the panic in her voice.            “Sorry!” Ribbony scrambled to his paws and looked over the wall. Several wolves scrambled up the rope attached to the grappling hook. Ribbony glanced at Dora and grinned, then pulled the hook off the wall and tossed it over. He was rewarded with the sound of furious howling from below.            He turned and looked along the wall, seeing several more hooks lodged at the base of the crenelations. Explorer and Creamy were dislodging them almost as soon as they appeared. Kit had vanished, but when Ribbony risked another look down at the lawn he saw his friend’s white fur dashing around with the fire brigades.            Ribbony turned back just in time to see the first wolf come over the wall. It was massive- bigger than Bee had been- and black, like their leader, but with gray paws. It oozed over the wall like a shadow and stood, fur fluffed up, yellow eyes glowing like a creature from a nightmare.              Ribbony drew his sword. The wolf turned its glimmering gaze on him and grinned, teeth glinting in the torchlight. It drew no sword, but simply charged him head on, jaws aiming for his throat.            Ribbony stepped out of the way at the last second, swinging his sword at the wolf’s throat. Its last howl turned into a gurgle, and it collapsed to the ground, blood pooling beneath it.            Ribbony didn’t waste time thinking about what he had done. He had grown beyond that in the past year, out of necessity. Some creatures were simply cruel, and some had embraced the darkness slowly and unwillingly, but all those he had killed had chosen their paths, and they would have killed him and those he loved if he did not kill them. The only remorse he had for his actions was that he wished there was no need for them at all; that no creatures ever fell into darkness.            Wolves lay dead by Explorer and Creamy as well. Not far from him, Dora stood, breathing hard and staring at a dead wolf with one of her knives buried in its chest. More inky black shadows slipped over the walls and attacked, and as Ribbony swung his sword at another wolf he knew they were in for a long night of fighting.

@ash-grimmy @masterfuldoodler @waterglider0

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[mozart-the-meerkitten]

I did it. I started working on my third book again. It’s not great, or long, but I did it.

           They stayed in Windenthorn for a moon. During that time, Arlen taught them how to fight snakes, Cloudfeather started to recover from her imprisonment, and Ribbony tried to come to grips with the battle and his part in it.            He had killed creatures. So had Explorer and Creamy and Missy. It felt deeply wrong to him, but at the same time he wasn’t sure what else he could have done. At first he had felt guilty for killing creatures who were probably just fighting out of fear or misguided loyalty, but then…            They had attacked him. They had meant to kill him. They had tried to kill him. And they would have killed him and all his friends and family if he hadn’t fought back. It had been a fair fight. He had simply emerged the victor.            After that he didn’t feel guilty. He had defended himself and his family. There was no shame in that.            But he still wished it hadn’t had to happen.

@ash-grimmy and @masterfuldoodler and I can’t remember if anyone else wanted to be tagged when I posted an excerpt from my books so if you do let me know.

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

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.

@ash-grimmy @masterfuldoodler

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[mozart-the-meerkitten]

Since I’m in a mood to share my writing I guess, here’s a snippet from a part I just wrote in my book:

          “Think you can do away with me that easily do ya?” a voice snarled. “You got another thing coming then.”            The accent was strange, but Ribbony could tell it was a she-cat now. He blinked, frowning at her words.            “What are you talking about?” he asked.            “You know!” she snapped. “You’ve come to try and kill me, right? Well it’s not gonna happen.”            “Why would I want to kill you?”            “Why would I want to kill you?” she mimicked in a high pitched voice. “Because you don’t want me to be queen, why else?”            Ribbony’s mouth dropped open. “You’re a queen?”            She gave a growl of frustration. “You’re the stupidest assassin I’ve ever met. Can’t you just attack me again and get it over with?”            “I’m not an assassin!” said Ribbony indignantly. “I’m running away from assassins! And I thought Snow Country was ruled by a king, not a queen!”            There was a pause, then the she-cat sighed, and when she spoke again her voice sounded sad. “Not anymore it’s not.”

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

A snippet from my third book, Catlition, because people were interested and I really liked this section I wrote last night:

           All at once the tunnel opened up to a massive cave. The ceiling rose at least ten tail-lengths up and it was as wide as the dragon tunnels had been. Instead of benches there were seats of glowing moss arranged neatly before a stone throne cushioned with the same moss. Several dozen meerkats were already inside, and when the newcomers entered they looked up curiously.

           But it was the one on the throne that captured Ribbony’s attention. He knew this must be their leader, Delilah. She sat with her nose in the air, though she was obviously paying close attention. A crown of metal and… gems, Ribbony realized, sat on her head, and she wore a shimmering mantel around her shoulders (Ribbony would later learn that it was made of dragon scales). She was every inch a queen.

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