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Chapter 1: New Lives

The three felinoids moved carefully between the trees as they made their way deep into the overgrowth, their paw-steps silent on the jungle floor, every so often stopping to get their bearings, identify the dangerous, carnivorous vegetation, and then work their way around until they picked up the trail of their prey again, following the signs in the dirt, the crushed plants and where the jungle seemed to become quieter, but were certain not to make a sound, else alert the beast to their pursuit... With an amber-eyed panthress in the lead, they closed in on their target, rounding a set of trees to its den, where the saw the great mess of mossy green hair and muscle stepping out, just in time. The beast was a giant green sloth, a massive creature native to Dásos and coveted for its tough hide being usable to make the strongest leather in Baruun. It was not a creature taken lightly, though; standing a head and a half taller than even the tigress in the trio, with short, powerful back legs and long front legs ending in curved, blunt claws, the jungle beast was more than capable of bringing a swift end to those who underestimated it. As they observed the giant, it reared back its head, sniffing the air before lowering itself down again to sniff the ground. Whatever it was searching for, it did not find, and so the beast began to lumber off into the trees, grunting every few steps. The cheetah raised her bow, drawing back the string in preparation to shoot the beast, aiming for its leg to make sure that, if the next shot did not kill it, the beast could not flee or turn around to attack without a limp, making it an easier target... But the panthress put up her hand, shaking her head. "We are too close to its den," whispered Devaki. "If it has a mate, they will come out to defend them. Wait until we are further from its den, and then we will strike. Hunting is about patience, my sisters; do not strike until the time is right, else the entire jungle may become your enemy." The cheetah and tigress nodded, and then Devaki resumed the lead, motioning them to follow. They made a wide-angled trek around the den of the creature, avoiding it entirely and not letting other potential residents detect their presence. When they were clear, they resumed tracking their target, picking up its trail once more and following it, remaining ever vigilant and silent as they moved, crouched low, the uniquely coloured eyes of their leader ever watchful. After a few moments of silent pursuit, they found the beast; many minutes from its den, the great green creature was far from any possible assistance. The time to make their move had come; Devaki quickly surveyed the surrounding area, confirming they were not near any of the 'new species' of plant that had emerged in the jungle when they attacked, else they could become prey to the jungle, rather than the beast to them. Devaki raised her bow and notched an arrow, holding it at eye level before drawing back the string slowly, hearing the tightly wound fibres stretching as she pulled. When the string was completely taut and she was sure of her shot, she picked her target and fired, the fletching of the bow whistling as it was loosed and raced through the air before imbedding itself in the leg of the sloth, piercing deep. The creature reared back its head and cried out in pain, immediately trying to flee into the jungle, slowed by the wound in its leg. That was when the others made their move. The cheetah emerged from her hiding place behind a bush and fired another arrow, this one striking the sloth in the side of the chest. The tigress did not carry a bow; she charged in, spear in hand, and pounced the beast while it was stunned by the second arrow. With a mighty leap, she launched herself at the giant green sloth, putting all her weight behind her spread and drove it into the sloth's back, piercing deeply into its flesh. The well-placed spear-strike was all that it took to bring about a quick end to the sloth. As it elicited its death throes, the other females moved in, bows trained on it in case it was not as dead as it appeared, but it did not move an inch, minus twitching as the tigress pulled her spear free. "Well done, sisters," complimented Devaki. "This is a big one," the cheetah remarked. "Bigger means more silver for us," added the tigress. "Correct," agreed Devaki. "Now, let's carry this thing back to camp so we can skin it, and then take its hide to the tannery in Ascot." They nodded to Devaki, the tigress handing over her spear before moving to assist the cheetah in lifting the sloth; the beast was so heavy it took both of them evenly distributing its weight to carry. Using muscles developed over years of slave labour and the past several months of training and travelling, they supported its mass. From there, it was up to Devaki to find them a safe path and lead them back out of the jungle again with their latest catch

~~~~~

There was much gossip circulating among the tavern patrons that day. Following the drop-off of their catch to Ascot's tannery, Devaki had encountered Herminia in the village, and was asked to join her for a drink. Feeling accomplished for the rather bountiful catch, she accepted the offer, deciding to treat herself for the work; she invited the others to accompany them, but they politely refused, as it was time to get back to camp for training. Months had passed since the great escape from New Prodavus. The occupation of the primate kingdom into the lands of Dásos had changed very little; despite how many times they were confronted by the remaining power of the felines, the Prodavians never lost much ground to them. Their warriors were stronger, better equipped and better organized than the Lion Kingdom or the states of the Tigers and Cheetahs, with the Panthers having been all but driven out of their homelands, seeking refuge with their neighbours and joining their two forces together. The forces of New Prodavus seemed to be increasing by the day, and every week there were new rumors spiralling through the taverns, the latest being that the Prodavians were expanding the slave-labored farms; the old ward from which Devaki had escaped had been torn down, and a new one erected alongside the city walls, where no slave could escape from without aid from the outside -aid that did not seem to be coming soon. All in all, the escape of Devaki and her newfound friends had accomplished only their own freedom. Now others would suffer in their place... she didn't know what to think of that knowledge as she let the ale flow down her throat, tilting her head back to direct the burning liquid into her mouth and swallowing it in gulps, setting down her tankard as she felt an alcohol induced light-headedness wash over her, taking in a breath as she clenched her eyes until it passed. "Bah!" Herminia suddenly growled, almost making Devaki jump. "They call this ale? What do they make it from, rat piss?" She slid her pint across the counter. "Bring me something stronger," she said to the barkeep, who hurriedly took the pint and searched among the barrels for something more satisfying for his customer. Devaki looked into her half-emptied tankard absently before glancing back at Herminia. "I find this ale plenty strong," she commented. "That would be because you are a lightweight," returned Herminia, bluntly. "When you spend your life fighting thugs and the occasional bandit, you want the good stuff to simmer down with." The lioness leaned back in her seat and swung one leg over the other, lounging on the creaky wooden stool and using the bar counter for support. "That's the secret to coping with a hard life; drink until it hurts to think, and then you don't want to think at all." "I'd like to believe there are other means of coping," Devaki returned in a glib tone. "Like that pretty little lady of yours?" Herminia asked in a glib tone. Devaki turned to the lioness, her sharp amber eyes casting a dangerous scowl at her companion. Hermina held up one paw. "Apologies; that one came out wrong, and a little below the belt," she admitted. Devaki snorted in annoyance. "And that is why using alcohol as a means to cope can have consequences," She pointed out, gently sipping the last of her tankard's contents before setting the pewter cup down on the counter roughly. "When it hurts to think about your actions, you become an imbecile." With that, Devaki stood up from her seat, arching her back to realign her spine after sitting on such an uncomfortable seat. She reached into her coin purse, producing a few pieces of silver and placing them on the counter to pay for her drink. With that, she adjusted her leather brassiere and pants before she turned to leave the pub. "Devaki, wait up; I'm still..." Herminia called as her new pint was placed back in front of her, filled with a bubbling, black-ish liquid. "Oh, sod it," she scoffed before grasping the pint, tipping back her head and chugging down the entire contents of the pint, ignoring the ale that trickled out around her lips to run through the fur of her lower jaw and down her neck. The barkeep stood, watching in bewilderment, as the lioness downed the entire pint in just a few seconds before slamming it back down, clenching her eyes and shaking her head side-to-side. "Wow!" She exclaimed. "Melangkah Bluestone; now that is the good stuff!" She grinned at the barkeep as she fished some coins out of her own purse, holding them out to him in a clenched fist and dropping them into his hands as he cupped them beneath. With that she bid him farewell and strode out of the pub to catch up with Devaki, not noticing the blank look on the male cheetah's face. "I've seen large men pass out drinking Bluestone that way," he muttered as the lioness left. Out in the streets of the village known by the name of Ascot, they turned and headed south, following the street to the main road out of the village. Ascot was a small, secluded community with only six homes and the single pub; the dwellers of this village were mostly ranchers who owned fair-sized herds of livestock, as well as a tannery in the village where the farmers sold the animal hides to make leather, which was sold to merchants on the road for coin. The village was prosperous for such a small community; the inhabitants lived in wooden homes as opposed to mudbrick hovels, but it had nothing truly standing out about it; the pub itself was mostly a stop for travellers, as the road it was built upon was a primary route from the South to the North; mere miles away were the crossroads that would, if going north, would normally take travellers through the panther lands and eventually to the tiger state, or west to the lion kingdom. However, as the panther lands had all been conquered by the Prodavians, everyone went west and travelled around the conquered territory. Ascot was of the Cheetah state, at the southern tip of the Eternal Jungle, and was defended by a fierce chieftain against Prodavian forces that attempted to expand south. They could stay safely in Ascot, and, as most of the land south, east and west was open grassland until one reached the mountains in the south, they could outrun any Prodavian forces that marched near. But since the town did not yet have an inn, Devaki and her company were left to camp outside of the village, down by the river. Their camp was just in sight of the town; descending a short slope towards the stream, they walked off the road towards a gathering of tents, arriving to the sight of the others going about their business. Kashvi sat with another Panther women, who served as her crafting apprentice - was the best at making clothing of the entire group, and had in fact created the clothes worn by the sisterhood now, including herself. The sisters wore matching garbs of slightly-tanned leather chest wraps and leggings cut above the knee, designed for enough coverage for the sake of modesty, but open enough to allow their fur and skin to breath the air and allow them to move with little restriction when hunting. The clothes were made from the hides of giant green sloths, like the one they had hunted earlier that very day. It had been Devaki's idea, training the sisters into huntresses, and then the party had found themselves able to make a decent living on the hides of the sloths. It had the added benefit of helping them build trust in one another as it usually took several of them working together to bring down even one of the beasts. The hard part had been teaching them how to properly remove the hide -a long and frustrating process due to the thickness of the flesh, and they kept the meat for themselves. Sloth meat was tough, often hard to eat, but it was their source of food while they stayed near Ascot, finding good hunting and a good place to sell the hides there. The sisterhood of fourteen felinoid females, ten of them trained as huntresses and being trained in the arts of combat, under the supervision of Herminia. Devaki knew them all by name, and knew them all to be as spirited as herself, if given the motivation and a sense of hope. Although there was one among them who stood out, for although she too practiced some measure of combat, her trade was as a Healer -a tigress by the name of Jacinta. To meet a healer from the Tiger State was a welcome surprise for the sisterhood; the road, and especially hunting, could present many injuries to them. Jacinta was also older than the rest of them, and bore much wisdom along with proficiency with an ash wood staff. Though for some it seemed unusual for her to be a healer; Tigers were famous for their proficiency in the art of combat, not in that of healing. Still, nobody ever questioned Jacinta's reasons for her chosen trade; they were just glad to have her. The panthress was broken from her thoughts by a bump in the hip from Herminia. "Oye, you daydreaming, Devaki?" She asked. "What?" The panthress asked. "I was just trying to mention to you, you still need your own training for the day," the lioness stated. "And you need a partner." Devaki turned her gaze back to the other sisters, seeing each one was currently occupied, having already found a training partner, practicing with their bows and arrows, spears and knives. She turned to Herminia, eyeing her quizzically. "But there is no one for me to spar with." Herminia arched an eyebrow at her. "Are you forgetting about me?" She asked. Devaki twitched at the notion of fighting Herminia... she had sparred with lioness before -several times in fact, and it had been a painful experience every time. She had barely been able to even lay a paw on the lioness in their bouts, and always suffered numerous bruises herself. She did not show her complaint, however, simply replying with a light sigh. "If I must." "Yes, you must," Herminia stated, crossing the camp to the rack where their practice weapons -wooden staves and short, solid sticks that they used as make-believe spears and daggers. "We agreed that nobody on this group would ever miss a day of training, and that includes you." She picked two staves from the rack, and passed one to Devaki. "Now, get ready to defend yourself." Devaki groaned within, but she did as she was told, gripping the staff tightly in her hands, one hand at the bottom and another in the middle, holding it as if it were a spear, and faced Herminia as the lioness adopted a similar stance, their gazes meeting as they readied themselves. Believing that she might be able to catch the lioness off guard, Devaki lunged forward to strike, stabbing at Herminia's chest with her staff. However, this proved to be a mistake; Herminia, as if reading Devaki's mind, effortlessly parried the attempted attack with a backhand strike of her weapon, and attacked with a chopping motion while Devaki's spear was out of alignment. The panther brought up the shaft of her weapon to block the strike, feeling her hands ache under the force of the blow, and push away from the lioness to return to her stance. "What sort of way to use a spear is that?" Devaki asked. "A spear is a tool of impalement." "If maneuvered correctly, the edge of a spear can deliver a cutting wound," returned Herminia. "'No tool serves only one purpose'; remember that. Now...!" There was no way out now; Herminia took training very seriously, and when the time came there was no backing out -she would not let you. Devaki had tried to walk out on a training session once before because she was tired and hungry, only for Herminia to smack her legs out from under her, and tell her that she was not eating until she landed one decisive blow on the lioness. Devaki had left the fight with apple-sized bruises on every part of her body, and Herminia had trained the other recruits a similar way; no breakfast or supper or sleep until they were finished training, once in the morning and once at night; anyone caught trying to skip had to fight her as punishment. Herminia's method was harsh, but effective; something Devaki begrudged acknowledged; even through the fog of pain, she had noticed her own improvement, lasting longer against Herminia and her sisters whenever they sparred. Devaki traded several blows with Herminia, their staves clacking together with each swing; occasionally, a hand was hit, bruising a finger, or one of them received a jab to the torso or a light tap to the head. The sparring carried on for a while, but it was not long before Herminia gained an advantage, being much more fit and stronger than Devaki; first, she locked their weapons together, and with a twist of the wrists, she disarmed the panther, and soundly finished her off with one good whack to her head that made stars dance across Devaki's eyes, dazing her and sending her falling onto her backside. When her vision cleared, she saw Herminia make a jabbing motion towards her chest, instinctively bracing herself for another hit, but the staff stopped a hair from her body, hovering for a second until Herminia jabbed her breast, this time sending her fully onto her back. "Dead again," remarked Herminia. "But you lasted much longer than last time." "You told me that before," returned Devaki, shaking her head scornfully. "Honestly, why do you even battle me if there is no challenge in it?" "The battle is not for my own amusement, Devaki," Herminia stated. "I find that difficult to believe, since you always make such sport out of leaving bruises on me." "The point of the exercise," Herminia began as she offered a paw to Devaki. "Isn't to hurt you, it's to teach you how to prevent others from hurting you. You've proven you have the will to take a life before it takes yours. We must temper that further, to give you the strength and skill required to ensure they cannot take yours." The way the lioness said those words brought a ring of truth to them, and Devaki believed she was being honest. She accepted the offered paw, grasping it firmly and letting Herminia pull her to her feet. When she was standing tall again, Hermina retrieved Devaki's staff for her and held the staff out to the panthress. Hesitantly, Devaki grasped the staff, taking it from her looking along the shaft of the weapon briefly before glancing at the lioness apologetically. "I'm sorry," she said. Herminia tilted her head curiously. "For what?" She asked. "For my misjudgement of you," she said. "All these months I had convinced myself you were a sadistic drunk who enjoyed beating on her recruits." She flashed a sheepish smile. "Now I see there's at least method to your madness," she remarked in jest. Herminia grinned back. "I may come across as your typical, layabout city guard," she said. "But that's simply because I find it more enjoyable to cut loose when I'm not working. Who you speak to now is an ordinary woman who loves a good time." She stepped back from Devaki, holding her staff defensively. "This, you see before you now, is the soldier; this is what I am when I must be." She spun the staff a few times. "This is what you must become; turn from the huntress into the warrior." Devaki stood, still and quiet for a moment, until she nodded to Herminia and mimicked her stance, taking in a deep breath to steady herself as they resumed their duel.

~~~~~

Devaki's first stop before retiring to her tent was to Jacinta, to receive an ointment to soothe the many bruises on her body left by her sparring match. Everything was sore as made her way to her tent; her legs, her feet, her arms, and her jaw too. Even with Jacinta's field proven, pain numbing mixtures that she had long since applied, the soreness was still seeping through enough that Devaki was practically dragging herself across the camp to her tent, and nearly plunged through the flap and onto the hay-stuffed cot that served as her bed, grunting as the hard ground underneath was felt through it. But to her tired body, it felt just as comfortable as wool, and she shut her eyes, falling to sleep in minutes. She was in such a deep slumber she did not even notice Kashvi slipping into the tent later that night and lying with her until the morn. When Devaki awoke, she felt it; a chill in the air, despite the warm body pressed against her back, which she reluctantly pulled away from, carefully so as not to awaken Kashvi. As soon as her back was away from that warm, furred body, the chill became even more apparent. She shivered, raising her paws and crossing them over her chest and rubbing her arms, trying to chase the cold from her limbs, when she felt something snagged in between her fingers. She pulled her paw back to find some fur caught in her digits, falling from her hand and dropping to the floor with a wave of her arm. She had begun shedding again. Turning towards the flap, she crawled out into the open, feeling the wind rushing over her fur, and worsening the skin tingling chill. She shivered, rubbing her arms once more as she turned her gaze towards the wind, coming from the north. At the edge of the camp, she saw two of her feline sisters, whom she quickly recognized as Herminia and Jacinta, the latter because of the light linen cloak she always wore, which was currently flapping free of her back in the wind. Curiously, Devaki approached the two, crossing the camp with soft foot-falls to avoid waking her sisterhood, continuing until she was standing at Herminia's side. The lioness glanced at her to acknowledge her presence before turning her face to the wind again, only half of her face illuminated by the dawning sun in the east. "What's the matter?" Devaki asked. "That wind," Jacinta answered, pulling her cloak tighter around herself. "It's the First Wind of the cold year -a sign of the seasons changing. The time of the Cold Winds will soon be upon us." She leaned forward, looking past Herminia to glance at Devaki, her expression serious. "I fear we are not prepared for it." The Cold Winds, the equivalent of Winter in Dásos; frigid gales that blanketed the land nearly every day, freezing crops and forcing game animals into hiding. The trees of the grand jungle provided cover to those that lived in its confines, but since the time of the Spellstorm, none of sound mind dared try to live there. The carnivorous plants did not die of the cold winds -the jungle protected them from such a thing, allowing them to live and prey upon warm-blooded species throughout the year without even the change of season to hinder them. The Cold Winds were not supposed to arrive for another forty days at least, normally covering only five months of the year, but now it seemed the lord of the seasons was impatient for a change, and had accelerated its arrival. The sisterhood did not have adequate shelters to battle the winds; mere canvas tents were not going to suffice. The chilly wind they felt now was but a taste of what was to come; when the real winds started blowing, they would face the danger of freezing to death. "We must find somewhere we can stay for the winter," said Jacinta. "Unfortunately, as kind as Ascot has been to use for letting us live so near to them for much of the summer, they do not have lodgings we could rent from them." "We do not even have the money to buy rooms in an inn for half a season," Herminia added. "If only we'd had one more month... but this first wind will warn all of our game to prepare for the coming change; our hunting is near its end." "So then... what can we do?" Devaki asked. "For once in my life, I do not have an answer," returned Herminia. "This is my first Cold Wind when there was not a thick wooden wall and a warm hearth to protect me from the elements." "I have no answer either," agreed Jacinta. "There's nowhere in Dásos we can escape the winds." Devaki rubbed her head in thought, trying to come up with a solution, but the answer eluded her. Even at her home village, which had been located in the jungle itself and offered some protection from the Cold Winds, the season still reached them and chilled the panthers in their beds. She did not know much of Dásos beyond what she had seen thus far, but everyone knew that the winds blanketed the whole kingdom. "We'll... need time to plan for this," she said. "I will lead the hunt this morning and take extra people with us," offered Herminia. "I think better in the field, and we need a big catch anyway." "I think I will accompany you this time," offered Jacinta. "I can use the opportunity to gather some new herbs for my poultices." "Agreed," returned Herminia.

~~~~~

Kashvi stirred as the tent flap was lifted, her green eyes fluttering open gently as she was roused from her sleep. She looked up, and observed her lover crawling into the tent. It didn't take long to notice the distressed look in the uniquely coloured eyes of her beloved, especially as she began to brood after sitting down next to Kashvi, not even looking up when she spoke her name. As soon as Kashvi sat up, she felt the chill that had previously roused Devaki from her sleep, crossing her arms over her torso as she shivered, before turning her attention back to her mate. "My dearest; what is the matter?" Kashvi asked, sliding closer to her, touching her back with a paw. "We are facing a problem," replied Devaki. "That chill in the air you feel; Jacinta says that it's a sign the Cold Winds are nearing. If she is right, we are about to have complications about our..." She eyed the canvas wall of the tent. "Living conditions, or lack thereof." "Winter... so soon?" Kashvi asked, wrapping her arm around Devaki and leaning on her. "Well... what can be done for us, then? Can we not seek shelter in one of the nearby towns?" "Herminia brought that up already," replied Devaki. "We do not have the coin to rent lodgings from anywhere in this area, even if any of them would have lodgings to offer, and nobody will give us room and board for free." She let out a long sigh, feeling hopeless. "I do not know what to do... there is nowhere in Dásos where we can escape the winds; they blanket the whole land, and we cannot survive the deathly cold they will bring with them when they come, not without shelter." "We will think of something, my love," Kashvi reassured Devaki, kissing her cheek softly. "Just as we have in the past, we will think of something." Devaki returned 's comment with a weak nod, wishing that she could believe her precious 's words. The green-eyed panthress could sense the troubles in the mind of her lover, wishing she could help alleviate them. The burden of the well-being of all the sisterhood had been placed upon her shoulders, but she was young, and did not have the experience of life to have all the answers to a problem, and she knew well that Devaki was right to be concerned; the Cold Winds were a difficult time for any inhabitant of Dásos. Preparing for them was hard; outlasting them was harder still, especially with so many mouths to feed in their group. However, the longer she considered it, the sooner an idea began to form in 's mind, based on what Devaki had said. "Hold now," she began. "You say we cannot escape the winds, as long as we are in Dásos, yes?" "Yes, why?" "What if we were to go somewhere else?" Kashvi suggested, earning a quizzical look from Devaki. "I know it seems like an unusual idea, but in these months since we were freed, I have heard much from the travellers I've traded with, passing through Ascot, about the deserts of Natchez in the south." Her lover was skeptical. "Kashvi, the deserts belong to the Reptilian folk," Devaki reminded. "Why would they allow us into their lands?" "We were not their enemies in the wars for one," reminded Kashvi. "Although the Spellstorm may have changed some ways of thinking regarding that, they will bear no hostility to us if we show none to them, won't they?" "We can't be sure of that," returned Devaki, sounding doubtful. "But," she continued. "It may be our best option... let me talk it over with Herminia and Jacinta, and see what they think of the idea." She looked at Kashvi sadly. "But... should we really do it? Leave behind our homeland?" "We don't need to leave indefinitely, Devaki," Kashvi assured her. "Just until the Cold Winds end; then we can come back to Dásos and try again. Maybe next season we can even build ourselves a home." She touched Devaki's cheek gently. "Start a peaceful new life." Devaki shut her eyes, purring to her lover's touch, lifting her own paw and placed it over Kashvi's. "If only things were still that simple, my love," she returned, sadly. "We live in a very different world now where all things are a battle. I will never give up hope that we may one day have peaceful lives again, but the only way for us to have peace is to get away from the things that prevent it. You understand?" She continued after a brief pause. "But thank you for your idea; it may just be what we will have to do." Kashvi reluctantly nodded back to her, saying nothing back to Devaki; she could not deny that her beloved was correct about the world, and how life for them was not meant to be simple anymore. But still, she held on to the idea; despite Devaki's doubts, Kashvi believed that, at the very least, the sisterhood may be able to start anew somewhere. They were one of the only two things Kashvi still had hope for... the envisioning of a peaceful future - her future, with Devaki...

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