Soldiers of Abania

Chapter One "Order"

This project was made with the help of fellow creator StarFusion617, so you should all check out her page on Wattpad for more content from her. The original idea for the franchise was her idea, and we developed on those together.

     A bright orange tabby cat stepped lightly through the building water puddles, each lithe foot drenched in cold mud. Rain poured down from the black sky, rumbles thundering in the distance and lightning flashing overhead. The tabby paused a moment and glanced back at the groups of cats following him carefully, heads lowered against the driving rain.  Immediately behind him, two at his flanks and one at his tail, were three light-footed cats with their heads bravely held high even through the downpour. Behind them was a group of five more, forming a triangle with the orange tabby at the head. Further back were nine more, and finally six smaller, weaker cats at the rear.

     The tabby turned forward again and led them on, water running in rivulets down his face and sides, tail swishing behind him in mild agitation. The rest of the groups followed closely, packed together for added warmth. The tabby had seen a building in the forest ahead the day before on a scouting trip. He tried to remember the direction and turned them to the right, away from the clearing along the river they had been following.

     The water roared dangerously high, waves sloshing at the cats' paws. The tabby gritted his teeth and trusted the cats in the rear to take notice of each other while he led them through the thickening trees.

     He knew it was just a little longer; it should be around this bend. Quickly he bounded through the last few trees and...there!

     The tabby yowled into the pelting rain hitting them through the trees and sprinted for the log cabin settled in a small dip in the land, between two clumps of evergreens. He heard the alert run through the groups as the cats in the front repeated him, sending the noise down the line.

     The orange cat reached the door, which was cracked open slightly, abandoned, and ran straight through. The rest of the cats filed in behind him until the last cat was across the threshold. A cat near the door stood on his hind legs and grabbed the handle with his front paws, pulling the door shut.

     Murmuring filled the room for several seconds, anxious and insistent. Then the orange tabby jumped to the top of a nearby desk and screeched for order. In three seconds, every cat in the room fell dead silent. They all turned to the desk and stared up at the tabby.

     "We have been delayed by the rain; it is true. This was not the plan, as you all know, but we will stay the night and resume traveling tomorrow. We must make it to the annual Guild Conference in four days, but we can spare this night for the rain. Guards will be posted. Do not leave the cabin for any reason," he yelled.

     Cats turned away and mumbled to each other apprehensively, but they settled in various rooms and did not show disapproval. The orange tabby leaped down to the floor and approached a group of three cats conversing near a wall. A heterochromatic black cat, a light brown queen, and a red-brown tabby turned towards him.

     "You three, I have decided on you to guard the camp for the night, in shifts," the orange tabby ordered in a confident and intelligent tone. 

     "But Colonel, this is a task for Low Guild members. I didn't go through tireless amounts of skill and intelligence assessments to be stuck doing a Low Guild task for the night," the black cat haughtily responded, yellow and blue eyes flashing in annoyance.

     "We are at serious risk of danger right now, Chrome, so it is a wiser choice to have cats of a higher tier defend our vulnerable tribe." Surrounding cats who were listening nodded their heads in agreement with the pale queen's reasonable proposition.