The Bitter Woods

Pixel Cat's End village fanblog

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Welcome to my blog!

I made this because I wanted to have somewhere to post my PCE art instead of having it float around in the aether on another image-hosting site, like imgur.

As my village changed, I realized I wanted to have somewhere to keep track of it over time as well! So here it is.

This blog and everything on it is purely self-indulgent.

Tags: #village art - my art #village tales - my writing

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Since traveling cats can't adopt, would this mean that a cat would be able to take in a new child while their partner was away?

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Sunset

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I'm never going to get over how small beans are

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She grows!

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All grown up now!

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She got into the pantry

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My entry for the Snowmelt coloring contest!

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Ideal/future outfits for some of my not-cats

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Bryn has grown up!

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I'm never going to get over how small beans are

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She grows!

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I'm never going to get over how small beans are

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Oh... That is an awfully big adventure 🥺

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A cat discovers she is, in fact, not one.

Swift was passing through Nestor’s Wood, on their way back home from a visit to the guardian.

“Hold it right there!” an unknown voice called out.

Swift was tackled. Adrenaline rushing in their veins, they rolled onto their back, ready to throw off their attacker. But they didn’t need to. The cat had overshot their mark, tripping over Swift and continuing to tumble a few times...

“Oof—ow—“

...before they came to a stop, bracing themselves in a crouch.

“Ha! I’ve got you in my sights! Now don’t move, or else!”

Standing in front of Swift was a tiny, spiky-furred cat. Her voice was high-pitched and young; she sounded just barely old enough to be an adult.

They could definitely take her on, but they wanted to see where this was going.

“Now gimme everything you have, including that sword!”

“You know, I’m awfully fond of this sword,” Swift said. “I’d rather not. But if you tell me what you want it for, I might consider it.”

“You know why.”

Swift tilted their head curiously. “Do I?”

“You do! Or else why would you be carrying it around?”

“Indulge me.”

“The monsters!” the cat blurted out, irritated. “The ones with big sharp fangs and mushrooms growing on them, a-and the giant birds, and—and...”

“How long have you been in this world?” Swift asked gently.

The other cat was visibly taken aback. “What?”

“Did you come through the gate in the sky? My friends and I came through there two months ago. We’ve been living here since then, building a home for ourselves.”

“You weren’t born here?”

“No, I’m from Earth. Just like you, I assume.”

The cat’s courage seemed to waver. Her eyes darted back and forth, as if trying to figure out if Swift was lying. Finally, she looked away. “…Two days,” she said. “That’s how long I’ve been here.”

Swift tried to remember how the first week had gone for them. They’d sheltered in a cave and ended up building their village around it. The time had passed so quickly. They were used to having roles to play, work to be done, adventure to seek, so they’d thought nothing of it. But they’d had their crew, even before they’d arrived on Not-Earth. This cat was clearly alone and confused.

“My name’s Swift. What’s yours?”

“Savannah.”

“Have you met Nestor?”

The other cat squinted. “Nestor?”

“The moose, with the floating eyes. He opened a gate for us and brought us here.”

“Oh. I saw him after I got here. But I kept my distance. No way am I going to trust something with weird, magical eyes like that. I already made that mistake.”

“How did you get here?”

“…I tripped,” Savannah admitted.

“Through the portal?”

“Yeah. This glowing door just showed up in the wall one day, and I got curious, y’know? At first I thought one of my humans put it there, because they do that sometimes. But this one felt different. And when I waited to see what they would do, it was like they couldn’t even see it. So I tried stepping through—just a paw. But I didn’t expect there to just be nothing, and I fell through and suddenly I was in the sky. I looked down and thought, this is it for me, but then I bounced when I hit the ground and everything was fine. It didn’t even hurt!”

“Ah, yes. It’s like that for all of us,” Swift said, with a sympathetic smile. “Not sure why Nestor decided to put it up there specifically.”

“What does he want with us? Why are we here?”

“We were from here originally. He just brought us back.”

“What do you mean?” the not-cat asked incredulously.

“You can feel it in your paws, can’t you? The way everything feels like a half-remembered dream. You know this place, deep down.”

Savannah gazed off into the distance. “…I’ve felt it ever since I got here. But everything’s so different from Earth, and things are alive that shouldn’t be. And if we’re from here, then what does that make us? Aliens?”

“Not-cats. You’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Would you like to come with me to my village? We can show you around, help you find your footing. You can stay with us for as long as you like.”

“Really?” Savannah asked, with a hopeful look. “I would love that.”

Swift smiled. “Come on, then. Let’s go home.”

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It was getting dark out, and Saturn was bringing in a basket of leaves when xe saw Savannah sitting outside. She was so still and silent that he’d thought she was a snowcat at first glance. Her pale fur almost perfectly blended in with the snow blanketing the ground. It was only her markings and glimmering eyes that gave her away.

She was uncharacteristically quiet, gazing up at the sky with a distant look.

Saturn decided to set the basket down and walk up to her. “What are you doing?” xe asked.

“I’m just looking,” Savannah replied quietly, in a dazed sort of voice.

“At what?”

“The world. It’s so big. I can’t believe that there was a whole planet out here, one where we belong, one where we’ve been before, and we never even knew. It makes me wonder what else is out there.” She started to look a little sad. “…I wonder how far from home I am.”

Saturn sat down and followed her gaze upward. The light of the sun was melting away, giving way to the night. A vast array of colors painted the sky above them, dotted with billions and billions of stars.

“The sky was never like this in the city where I lived. It was always so bright it blocked out the stars. It feels weird to be without all of that now, but… it’s also kind of nice.”

“I grew up in one, too,” Saturn said. “I remember my first time on a ship. It was feeling cramped and I couldn’t sleep, so I went up to the deck to get some fresh air. There, I saw the unpolluted sky for the first time. There’s nothing like being on the open sea at night, darkness all around you, the only light coming from the stars above. It was dizzying. I had to lie down.”

“It feels like the sky is going to swallow you whole,” Savannah agreed. “But it’s so beautiful, too.”

“That was where I met Captain Swift and the others. The humans had brought us aboard to keep the rats in check. We had free rein of the ship. All of us not-cats ended up forming our own little crew, and we’ve never been apart since.”

Savannah turned to look at him. “Do you ever miss them?” she asked. “The humans?”

“Heh, sometimes,” Saturn admitted with a wistful smile. “We were so loved. You know Fluffernutter’s bow?”

“That raggedy old thing?”

“The humans gave it to aer. It’s aer last keepsake from them. That’s why ae won’t ever get rid of it.”

Savannah touched a paw lightly to her own neck. “I lost my collar when I was running from some forest hounds the day I got here,” she said mournfully. “I was so upset when I realized.”

Saturn nudged her lightly with his shoulder. “We’ll find it again. I’ll keep an eye out, and ask the others to help look for it.”

“Thanks. But if you don’t find it… I think that’s okay, too. Maybe it’s a sign I need to move on.”

“Hey, just because you can’t go back to your old life, that doesn’t mean you can’t miss it. You can take as long as you need, and we’ll be here for you in the meantime. That’s what a village is for. We lift each other up, and help carry each other’s weight.”

Savannah gave him a sad, relieved sort of smile. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

Together they sat in silence, watching the stars—feeling so small, yet knowing they weren’t alone in this big, wide world.

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Playmates

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A cat discovers she is, in fact, not one.

Swift was passing through Nestor’s Wood, on their way back home from a visit to the guardian.

“Hold it right there!” an unknown voice called out.

Swift was tackled. Adrenaline rushing in their veins, they rolled onto their back, ready to throw off their attacker. But they didn’t need to. The cat had overshot their mark, tripping over Swift and continuing to tumble a few times...

“Oof—ow—“

...before they came to a stop, bracing themselves in a crouch.

“Ha! I’ve got you in my sights! Now don’t move, or else!”

Standing in front of Swift was a tiny, spiky-furred cat. Her voice was high-pitched and young; she sounded just barely old enough to be an adult.

They could definitely take her on, but they wanted to see where this was going.

“Now gimme everything you have, including that sword!”

“You know, I’m awfully fond of this sword,” Swift said. “I’d rather not. But if you tell me what you want it for, I might consider it.”

“You know why.”

Swift tilted their head curiously. “Do I?”

“You do! Or else why would you be carrying it around?”

“Indulge me.”

“The monsters!” the cat blurted out, irritated. “The ones with big sharp fangs and mushrooms growing on them, a-and the giant birds, and—and...”

“How long have you been in this world?” Swift asked gently.

The other cat was visibly taken aback. “What?”

“Did you come through the gate in the sky? My friends and I came through there two months ago. We’ve been living here since then, building a home for ourselves.”

“You weren’t born here?”

“No, I’m from Earth. Just like you, I assume.”

The cat’s courage seemed to waver. Her eyes darted back and forth, as if trying to figure out if Swift was lying. Finally, she looked away. “…Two days,” she said. “That’s how long I’ve been here.”

Swift tried to remember how the first week had gone for them. They’d sheltered in a cave and ended up building their village around it. The time had passed so quickly. They were used to having roles to play, work to be done, adventure to seek, so they’d thought nothing of it. But they’d had their crew, even before they’d arrived on Not-Earth. This cat was clearly alone and confused.

“My name’s Swift. What’s yours?”

“Savannah.”

“Have you met Nestor?”

The other cat squinted. “Nestor?”

“The moose, with the floating eyes. He opened a gate for us and brought us here.”

“Oh. I saw him after I got here. But I kept my distance. No way am I going to trust something with weird, magical eyes like that. I already made that mistake.”

“How did you get here?”

“…I tripped,” Savannah admitted.

“Through the portal?”

“Yeah. This glowing door just showed up in the wall one day, and I got curious, y’know? At first I thought one of my humans put it there, because they do that sometimes. But this one felt different. And when I waited to see what they would do, it was like they couldn’t even see it. So I tried stepping through—just a paw. But I didn’t expect there to just be nothing, and I fell through and suddenly I was in the sky. I looked down and thought, this is it for me, but then I bounced when I hit the ground and everything was fine. It didn’t even hurt!”

“Ah, yes. It’s like that for all of us,” Swift said, with a sympathetic smile. “Not sure why Nestor decided to put it up there specifically.”

“What does he want with us? Why are we here?”

“We were from here originally. He just brought us back.”

“What do you mean?” the not-cat asked incredulously.

“You can feel it in your paws, can’t you? The way everything feels like a half-remembered dream. You know this place, deep down.”

Savannah gazed off into the distance. “…I’ve felt it ever since I got here. But everything’s so different from Earth, and things are alive that shouldn’t be. And if we’re from here, then what does that make us? Aliens?”

“Not-cats. You’ll get used to it.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Would you like to come with me to my village? We can show you around, help you find your footing. You can stay with us for as long as you like.”

“Really?” Savannah asked, with a hopeful look. “I would love that.”

Swift smiled. “Come on, then. Let’s go home.”

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I adored this description so much I just had to draw them

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Clove has an important message for you!

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I have now beaten a couple runs of crescent shore! Here’s what I’ve learned:

Many enemies do 10-20 damage in a single turn. If your not-cats have a bad health stat, swap them out

Feed your not-cats snacks before every single encounter. They might get knocked out on the first turn otherwise.

If your not-cats have low initiative, they will get outsped by many enemies—even with the scout boost

If you get an all-medic group of enemies, keep your distance while you fully heal your team. It’s safe to stall here.

On the flip side, the level 4 rangers have double-shot. Take them out FAST or suffer the consequences

Call to Action overrides spiced blend tea :( I wasted two of them on the boss fight bc I thought the effects would stack :(

Things I haven’t tested yet, but multiple players vouch for:

Rangers are probably the best class rn. Multi-class as fighters so you have access to kick, but you won’t need to kick very often

Guardian/Thief multiclass > Fighter (but fighters are still decent). The boss has over 90hp. I have seen backstab do 68 damage in a single turn.

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Some additions:

Group harmony is your friend! A ranger with excellent finesse and a best friend in the party can take out a 24hp enemy in one go with double shot.

Focus on one enemy at a time.

Keep your party close together! If you have a medic and two fighters, you can have your fighters deal damage and heal with cooperative care in between.

Take advantage of the environment and enemy positions! When fighting rangers, block enemy line of sight to protect your lower-health cats.