Prologue

The large Cat stood over her companion to protect him from further damage. If her people could see her now they would scold her a thousand times, but he was her friend and had been injured trying to protect her. He had tried and that was enough. No matter what he had done, how he had acted, she couldn’t help herself. Since that very first day, she had known it was him. The instincts of the Cat were highest and surest, rarely were they underestimated.

The Panther circled her enemy, taking in their scent and sensing how strong they were. They outnumbered her immensely; her hopes were very slim if even that. The resemblance they had to humans was uncanny and misleading to say the least. Danger rested in this misunderstanding, for the power of these were the greatest only second to the Cats. Their eyes held an intense glow, as if looking through you and peering into the soul. The feint traces of venom that ran through their veins was the only memorabilia of the fact that they had once been Animalia too.

Some may have thought of this war as a sibling rivalry, a fight between two creatures to prove their strength. They had invaded the land and killed many of her people, but for what? The Cats truly had no clue why the enemy wished them dead, but the royal family couldn’t allow these beasts to get the better of them without a struggle, and this Feline had an even more personal hatred toward them.

She leapt, getting in one last blow for her dead land and her people. Each bleeding claw mark, every painful bite was powered by the memory of her tortured people. When the red light appeared from the enemy, faces flashed through her mind, faces that had always been there. They were faces of her people; good, honest, hard-working people. These faces had smiled at her everyday and she had smiled back, never thinking that these faces should cease to exist. The thud that ensued echoed through the vast lands. A mourning cry lingered in the wind at the loss of the powerful Cat and her dead land. There lay the mighty black Panther, reduced to nothing more than a common house cat.

A/N: Don't you worry, it gets better. This is just the Prologue, a necessary evil. Just so you know, I love comments, good and bad. Well, as long as you don't flame me or anything! If you ever have any questions, comments, or suggestions, I will welcome them with open arms and explain, agree, or... maybe just ramble as I am now!

Nicki