Journey of Atlas

Prologue

Dark, ominous gray clouds blocked out the sun. A cold breeze began to blow, carrying a scent of dew. Bushes of scrub and brush rustled their branches in the wind. Large oak trees were scattered throughout the hills and tall mountains loomed ahead. The ground was filled with dead leaves. Off in the distance, there was commotion. Birds took off in flight and a squirrel scrambled to take shelter. The sound of barking got louder and more prominent. A dark russet and white cat was running. His white paws were covered in dirt. The cat looked behind himself. Panting, he took a left turn. Three large coyotes were on his tail. He needed to escape or he would risk being mauled. Snarling and yiping the creatures gained speed. He dove under a pile of thick brush. Branches scratched at his pelt as he crawled to the other side. Grunting, he shook it off and started to run again. A sharp breeze blew through his fur as he ran. His paws felt the dead grass underneath. He heard the barking yet again. The young cat made an attempt to deter the creatures. He kicked up dirt, however, that was of no use.

A couple yards away, he saw a tall oak tree.Thankfully an escape route. Considering this as his only chance, he made a run for it. He dodged dense shrubs and leaped over a fallen alder tree. The cat hissed at the pursuers. Finally, he was only a tail length away from the tall live oak. He was panting heavily as he looked backwards again. The coyotes had made it past the shrubs and were headed in his direction. He dug his paws into the ground, eyeing the oak right in front of him. The barking and howling grew louder. He decided this was the time to make a leap for it. The cat readied his paws. Then, he Jumped onto the oak tree and began to climb. His paws scraped off pieces of bark. He gripped onto the tree with his claws unsheathed. The coyotes were furiously scratching the tree bark. Making his way up the tree, he looked at all the leaves. It was autumn and the trees were turning yellow, orange, and red. Paw after paw, he climbed into the thickness of the oak tree. "They can't see me now!" He thought to himself. The coyotes took turns trying to climb. Pieces of bark fell off as they attempted to get a grip of the tree. These creatures don't have the stability of a cat's claw. "Well they're not so smart" the young tom thought. Grunting, they kept trying. It was starting to drizzle, making the bark slippery. After what seemed like minutes, they grew tired. The coyotes growled at the cat in the tree in disappointment. One after another, they began to turn around and leave. The cat held a sigh of relief. He survived and had a story to tell when he got back to the farm. They would be flabbergasted by this experience. He looked at the surrounding landscape. The mountains, the various trees and chaparral. This gave him feelings of mystery and adventure. However, those feelings gave way to a feeling of anxiety. He traveled a bit too far away from where he resided.

As he looked across the hills, a low ominous rumble sounded overhead. The sky overhead became darker by the minute. Drops of rain fell rapidly onto the leaves of the oak tree in which he stood in. A drop landed onto his head, and the young cat shook it off. The branch under him shook with that sudden movement. "I should probably get down," he told himself. Carefully he made his way down the tall oak. The branches became more wet and slippery. His back left paw slipped a bit off of a branch. The cat let out a shrug. Paw after paw he ascended ever so carefully. He was only two branches away from the ground when all of a sudden. BOOM. Out of sheer panic, he decided to jump off the remainder of the tree. Sprinting, he made his way down the hill. He kicked away twigs and leaves away from his path. The tom jumped over the fallen alder, and dove through the thick brush. He clawed and tore his way out to the other side desperately. A bright ball of light lit up the dark sky. Then another loud boom sounded overhead. He wanted to run faster, but his legs were getting tired. He began to pant nervously. To his relief, or so it seemed, he found a clearing. The young cat slowed to a stop. "At least I'm nearly to the outskirts of the canyon," he told himself. Now, the grass underneath was soaking wet. The cat shook his paw to get the rain off. Rain splattered all over his dark russet pelt. He was wet and cold, however he seemed to not mind it as much. This cat was used to the rain, he lived life outside as a barn cat. He often ventured out in the rain looking for prey. However, the cat was not fond of thunderstorms. The sudden noise scarred him. "I can't waste time here, I have to get back to the farm" the young cat stood up. He took two steps when suddenly, BANG. The dark stormy sky became as bright as the sun. It seemed as if the heavens had opened up right where he stood. A flash of bright burning light seared through the pelt of the young cat. He closed his eyes, as he was unable to see. He couldn't move at all. It was almost as if the sun attacked him. The terrified tom tried to yowl, but he couldn't. It felt as though everything was on fire. Trembling, he fell to the ground. Then, complete darkness. Darkness took over the world. Everything was pitch black.

The hills, trees, and plants were all gone. Did he die?. However, with a gasp of air, he noticed he was alive. He slowly opened his eyes. Then noticed he was laying in a field of grass. It was very hard to see much, as the world was still shrouded in darkness. The tom stood up. He tilted his head up to the sky. Three stars shined brightly overhead. There were no clouds, no other stars. All of the stars were in a straight line, the middle star being the brightest. "Where am I?" The cat asked. He began to run in the direction of the three stars. He felt a boundless energy he never had before. The young cat ran faster and faster. A warm breeze blew across the field of grass. The three stars pulsate. It seemed as though they were alive. Suddenly the grass underneath his paws became sloped. He kept the same pace up the hill. "I'm not even tired, how is this possible?" He thought to himself. The young tom looked around. He jumped over rocks and logs. His paws dodged boulders as he scurried up the hill. The ground underneath became flat. He decided to slow his pace. A larger jagged boulder stood above at the end of the hilltop. The young tom leaped forward onto the large boulder. His paws felt the cold stone underneath. He was astounded by what he saw beyond the hill in which he stood atop. Below, lie a large forest of pine trees that seemed to stretch on forever. Even further beyond the forest were tall mountains that reached into the sky. A river flowed in the middle of the forest. The waters of the river appeared to glow in the star light. After admiring the sight before him, he looked up at the three stars above. A breeze blew through the dark night sky carrying a strange unfamiliar scent. He flattened his ears as the breeze ruffled his dark russet pelt. The three stars became brighter by the second. Almost blinding, he could no longer look. Covering his eyes from the light, he crouched down.

Soon enough the stars morphed into the shape of three animals. The creatures stood before the great rock. The young tom lowered his paw and looked back puzzled. He let out a hiss of alarm. These creatures were not cats like he knew. Standing before him stood a mountain lion, a raccoon, and a coyote, all made of stars. Constellations made up their pelts. Their fur shone through the darkness. The starry mountain lion stepped forward in front of him. "Huh? Who are you all? Am I supposed to know you?" The young cat said in alarm. Bowing her bright starry head, the lion spoke. "You do not know us, but we know you." Then the raccoon stepped forward next to the lion. "You are Atlas, you live just on the outskirts of the forest." The male raccoon spoke. "H....how do you even know that!?" The young cat exclaimed. He then looked away. "We have been watching you and see great strength in you, Atlas" spoke the old male coyote. Atlas shifted both of his paws. He gazed at them in confusion. The young cat took a step back. "But I'm a coward! You must have seen me running from the coyotes and the big storm!" He shrieked. The mountain lion sighed. "You are much more than what you think". Standing above Atlas, the Mountain lion licked his forehead. Atlas let out a grunt, briefly closing his eyes. She stopped and spoke. "My friend, our counsel has chosen you to take on a very important journey". Atlas looked up in bewilderment. His mouth was open in surprise. He then dipped his head to the mountain lion. "What do you want me to do?" He lowered his voice. Atlas's demeanor became serious. The lion put her paw on Atlas's shoulder. "You must venture into the heart of the mountains in order to stop a dark force from taking over the land". Atlas looked at the lion with a wide eyed expression. He took two steps back. "What sort of dark force may I ask?". He questioned.

The old coyote took a deep breath and explained. "A large feline with the power to control other creatures in order to do what he says". "If you don't act soon he will destroy the forest". Atlas looked at him shocked. The young tom stood uneasy. "Well what do I do?" He asked. Abruptly, the mountain lion trotted off. She moved a boulder that was crushed in half. In her jaws was a shiny necklace with a pendant the shape of a star. Atlas looked over in confusion. The lion ran back over and dropped the necklace by Atlas's front paws. "This pendant holds great power and strength. She explained. "Use it wisely". Atlas gazed at the shiny light blue pendant. It seemed to glimmer with the stars. He put the necklace on. His breathing became rapid. The pendant became brighter and was pulsating. It burned a bit, but Atlas knew he needed to toughen it out. The animals watched him, bright eyed at the power of the pendant. Courage soared through the young cat. He eyed the animals bravely. "Best of luck to you Atlas" spoke the lion. One by one, each of the animals scurried off and disappeared. Atlas looked up, the three stars were once again shining into the night sky. He panted and looked below. Looking at the stars in awe, he thanked them. Now he must figure out what to do. The mountains ahead started to disappear into the darkness. Soon, the trees vanished one at a time at a rapid rate. The landscape ahead fell into a black hole. Atlas crept backwards as the hill he stood on began to disappear into the night. The ground ahead of him faded to black. The last thing to disappear were the three stars.