“From this day forth, you shall be known as Golden Vow…”
CW: Blood/Injuries (nothing extreme dw)
Present mode recommended!!
Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to view this entry <3 I am. so sorry abt the unfinished drawings I severely miscalculated how long they would all take SOB
Total Word Count: ~3,550
“…And you shall control the rift between our worlds.”
TENERE • MUNDUM
TO HOLD THE WORLD.
ACT I
PEREGRINUS EX INANUS
A STRANGER FROM THE VOID
NOTHING BREAKS THE BARRIER BETWEEN worlds. This is commonly known; the first thing a Starwalker learns is that, if they ever see something out of place, treading the lines of fate, walking the tightrope of the universal threads binding the timelines together, it’s not real. A trick of the eye. Hallucinations.
This is what they thought when the rift started opening. A crisp, overcast day, towards the beginning of leaf-fall. The leaves were still perched in their trees, shivering with each prevailing gust, when the day patrol saw the tear in the world. It was odd. A simple line, like a closed eye, emitting a gentle glow. They reached out to touch it, their paws bouncing off with a static shock traversing their veins. Upon this discovery, the decision was made to report it to the head Starwalker.
Hearing the news, she demanded to see it.
“Show me. This instant.”
Her voice rolled off her tongue like venom, stinging with fear. Utter fear. A kind of terror that filled the stirring camp with unease. The patrol had no right to refuse.
By the time they’d retraced their steps, it was too late to close the rift. It had opened, a blinding, pulsating tunnel of pure white. Mist rolled off it in clouds, a cruel, bitingly cold steam. The wind swirled it into a twister, nearly taking down the trees, and, if you looked at just the right angle, it distorted the landscape, twisting trees into spirals and making the grass flicker into cubes. The patrol was stunned into silence; for what was this, if not a curse? A punishment from their god? The Starwalker bent to the ground, forehead against the glitching earth, pleading, begging the stars for answers.
The noise stopped. The wind stopped. The rift began to close its cruel blinding eye, sealing the line between the worlds.
In the eye of the late storm was a kitten, fur colored like goldenrod and fresh soil.
THE HEAD STARWALKER WARNED OF the dangers, urging the patrol to stay back. She approached on her own, jaws parted to draw in the scent of the rift-crossing kitten, a scrap of warm fur against the brown detritus.
It moved, once, opening its little pink mouth in a desperate mewl. Cautious, yet sympathetic, the Starwalker allowed the kitten to be taken back to camp by one of the queens on the patrol.
“Tread careful, Flame Swirl. We don’t know of its origins. If you get injured, I can treat you upon our return to the base.”
“You worry too much, Shivering Cloud.”
As the others backed away, fear overpowering intrigue, the tortoiseshell approached the kit, ignoring the feeling bubbling in her stomach. One of dread, of misfortune. Indeed, something wasn’t correct about this kit. The whole patrol understood that something was off. The aura of unease surrounding it, the feeling that if you touched it, you, too, would be reduced to a kaleidoscope of twitching cubes, just as the grass was temporarily reduced to by the rift. Nevertheless, Flame Swirl, not one to quit in the face of saving a newborn kit’s life, bent down, gingerly taking the kitten’s scruff.
A few disfigurations didn’t escape the eyes of the patrol, however. For how could they, when so glaringly… uncommon? Its nose was slightly deformed, nostrils extending a bit too far to the sides. Its front toes looked more separated than usual, the typically thin stubbly beginnings of whiskers thicker than an average kit’s. Despite that, this kitten was not clearly a threat to the colony, and the disfigurations vanished as if they were never even there when the kitten was lifted from the ground, into Flame Swirl’s trembling jaws.
The sinking feeling in Shivering Cloud’s chest remained, fur ruffled by the lingering cold. This kitten was surely a curse, if not cursed itself. She swore to question her god about it.
NOT EVEN ONE MOON INTO the kitten’s stay, the problems began arising. Blue eyes alight with a swirling pattern, unusual things would occur around them. Prey became mutated, sometimes even vanishing into thin air. Rifts opened; small ones, always around the sunny bundle of fluff. Every cat knew something was wrong.
Begrudgingly, the settlement put up with it. The strange kit was apprenticed, Shivering Cloud making a special request to mentor them (if only to keep a watchful eye on the kit). Golden Vow’s, then named Aureum - a name of their choosing - abilities, curse or blessing, became immediately obvious.
It was a cool leafbare evening, dew on the leaves and a haze in the air. A familiar set of conditions as the night Aureum was discovered. They were out patrolling for the last herbs of the season with their mentor, Shivering Cloud, alongside two other apprentices; Whispering Moon and Pallid Wing.
It happened in seconds. The cry of war from incoming rogues, Aureum’s sudden yowl of pain and aggression, the blast of wind, the blinding light. And then the stilled silence. The strangling, complete utter silence. The only movement surrounding was the leaves rustling in the night’s breeze. The darkness, re-enveloping the patrol and their adversaries as the rift flickered closed, swallowing the assailant and leaving nothing but a tuft of fur.
The rift had dragged the rogue in and had taken them to… who knows where. It was enough to frighten off the remaining two attackers, leaving Aureum crouched in the snow, slashed over the back, guilt and horror haunting their hazel eyes. The return to the base was silent, and the hushed conversation between Shivering Cloud and Towering Fir was quiet.
This was the first time of many that Aureum’s curse proved itself dangerous and uncontrollable. Especially as they sat before their leader, head hung. Although, a different presence noticed them.
WORD SPREADS QUICKLY. ESPECIALLY IN an environment like the one cultivated at The Marshland Settlement’s base camp - it took merely a day for every cat to hear about what happened. The kits and other apprentices whispered about it, the warriors avoided Aureum like the plague. To the settlement, they were. A cat with fatal powers they can’t control has no place in a newly budding society. If no improvements were made, their trial would be in 3 moons.
Their actions couldn’t escape the gods either; Blinding Light’s watchful eye saw something within them. Something not from this world. Something primal; dangerous, aggressive. The rifts would never end until Aureum either controlled it, passed, or found their way back to their own world. Already plans were being created by the Court of Passing Dreams to initiate the second option.
The divide between Aureum, their settlementmates, and even the gods grew deeper; and the next time they went out to patrol, the loners they encountered scattered. Seeing nowhere to go, Aureum laid low. Mapped the mountain-enveloped territory, traversing through the swamp and trying to close every rift they found. Their ability to close them was inconsistent, and, with each failure, the rifts grew more and more dangerous..
By day, they trained as a hunter - yet they trained alone. Although, their days weren’t all without interactions. A certain molly with blue-splashed fur had taken quite a fascination with Aureum, constantly trying to converse with the golden outlander. Rumors had spread about her, too; that she was a reincarnation of some dead god.
Aureum met her friendly advances with a bit of unease. Whispering Moon was present when the rift swallowed that rogue. She heard the silence, felt the blast of wind. Slowly, Whispering Moon began accompanying Aureum on their hunting sessions. Observing them through closed, cloudy eyes. Aureum knew this wasn’t right; there was more to this. And indeed, there was. Whispering Moon saw something in Aureum. Something they themself couldn’t see.
The foreign light. Aureum sensed it too, even if they didn’t know what it was. The thing that was wrong with them. Whispering Moon had a theory; she just needed to get close enough to find her answer. Fortunately, Aureum could never pass up an opportunity like the one before them.
ACT II
LUDIBRIUM DEORUM
A MOCKERY OF THE GODS
nature that is easily burned
does not take kindly to a
light with the power to singe.
a kingdom lived under the light of the moon and stars;
turning to the moon for guidance.
when the sun arrived, it was from a flash in the night.
the villagers looked on in fear;
for the flames off the crown of this foreign star
would surely burn their pale wings and antlers.
the clouds attempted to shield the kingdom,
fir trees raising to blot it out,
but the moon, up in the sky alongside the sun,
was able to listen. the idea of this excited the sun; finally, they received
acknowledgement from another! and the guide
of the kingdom, no less! together,
they discovered the truth;
the sun was not at fault for the rift.
oh, yet excitement leads to distraction.
it wasn’t until it was halfway eclipsed that
the sun realized a rift had opened, half swallowing the moon.
in a frenzy of panic and anger, the sun dragged her
out of the rift, closing it by sheer power of mind.
but an outsider, approaching the scene?
witnessing the aggressive sun, crouched over a bleeding
and unconscious moon?
the sun was chased beyond the horizon by a snow-white stag,
the moon dragged away by a ghostly crow.
when the moon awoke, the truth of the
matter was revealed. in the morning, the sun did not rise.
too afraid of themself to illuminate the kingdom any longer.
ACT III
ECLIPSIS SOLIS
ECLIPSE OF THE SUN
AUREUM’S CONTROL OF THE RIFT was coming along; they knew that better than any other cat. But the one thing they’d never done was enter the rift. It was a portal to another world; Aureum’s current thought was that, if they went through, they’d be returned home.
A home certainly sounded nice right now. Although, would they even be wanted there? The home they’d return to was the one that tossed them to the rift in the first place. Or perhaps their journey in this world was a mistake?
None of that was of any concern of the golden tabby, as they crept through the marsh, mud and water bogged down by algae weighing heavy on their thick stomach fur. In their mind, they could never return to The Marshland Settlement. Their neglect to pay attention had resulted in heavy injuries on Whispering Moon, and a few subsequent scratches on both them and Silver Antler from a fight induced right after the rift closed.
Aureum didn’t blame him. Silver Antler’s actions came from a place of protection. But even still, that didn’t prevent the first cold winds of leaf-fall from closing their jaws around the open wounds. And it was very clear that Aureum would not be welcomed back; not after letting a crack form in the Settlement’s prized jewel.
Now, the child of two powerful foreign gods, just over a year old, was currently cast out in the fallen leaves and freezing water of the Marshland Settlement’s territory. Wandering, roaming. Snacking as they went - a toad, some fireflies, anything they had the willpower to catch. After all, their focus was on tracking down their ticket out.
If they could find the next rift, they’d go home. Or somewhere else. Truly, anywhere but here. 24 moons of judgement and cold shoulders and neglect, they’d had enough of it. Respect would be found in those who understood. Those from home. Why couldn’t the cats here understand? Aureum had power! So much, in fact! They could crush them with a single claw, they could-
A light split from the trees.
interlude.
μια ωδή από το φεγγάρι.
an ode from the moon.
i sing upon the stars, and dance upon the breeze.
you carry the winds of change from a new world.
the divide between us is extraordinary.
and yet, I am allured by the prospect of your ability.
the ignorant fear you, encapsulating, drowning,
blazing and burning, a river of flame.
but what does the benefit of blindness see?
surely, without sight, I can notice your inner tranquilities.
i do not see the destruction.
i do not see the land singed by you, o sun,
i see only the brightness you can bring.
o gold, why do you refuse that potential within?
i walk through the flames, yet you continue to run,
you’re returning us to the darkness of old.
Oh, but where shall you go?
i see now, the mire in your blinding light, set aglow.
i dread it’s too late; i fear the cold of
a day without the sun. i cannot support
the astral plane alone.
yet i don’t blame you, for what is a life if lived disowned?
at night, in the pitch dark,
i cry for you, o light,
o prayer, answer me!
fate’s threads are dangerous if you flee!
το μάτι του φεγγαριού συγχωρεί.
η καρδιά του ήλιου κρατάει μίσος.
THE SENSATIONS AROUND WHISPERING MOON were unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. Using her expert tracking skills, she’d managed to trace Aureum this far; the scent ended at another rift. One solution lied ahead; Aureum had entered. Frustrated, panicking, and desperate, Whispering Moon weighed her options.
Death wouldn’t be the end for her. This was a worthy risk. Steadying her resolve, she felt around for the rift, reached a paw in, and lowered it until she found the floor. She pulled herself in, pushing against the wind and the grit flying at her until she stumbled into the rift. It was quieter in here, yet there was still a significant breeze, and the ground beneath her was soft and cold, like the mossy turf of the Starplane. Did that mean…?
She opened her eyes, vision returned to her by the power residing in the astral plane. She was in a tunnel; the world behind her outside of the rift was a hazy white, harsh lighting bouncing off of the trees into her eyes. At the other end of the tunnel was yet another eye-shaped opening, with the hazy resemblance of a grassy field behind it. All around them, space traveled like a strong current, stars flying by in the tight tunnel.
Several paces ahead, she saw Aureum for the first time; changed slightly by the proximity to their home. Their front toes were splayed, and their muzzle was rounder, mouth no longer visible and nostrils slightly longer. Their whiskers bore small jewel-like fixtures at the end.
Whatever Aureum was becoming, it was no longer a cat. Whispering Moon called to them, but her voice rang out like a hollow echo. The walls of the tunnel between the two worlds absorbed the noise, as if trying to snuff out Whispering Moon’s words to draw Aureum closer.
Seeing no other path to saving her friend, Whispering Moon charged against the wind, growing steadily stronger the closer they drew to Aureum. For all of their strength, they, too, were struggling to enter. Whispering Moon called out again - louder, more desperate, digging into the plush ground. This time, Aureum looked back.
WHISPERING MOON WAS NOT A welcome presence here. That much became obvious when Aureum whipped around, baring their teeth at the blue-splashed starwalker. The wind was growing steadily stronger, pulling at Whispering Moon’s fur; her paw slipped, and she stumbled back, crouching to withstand the wind’s force. When Aureum spoke, it was authoritative, yet their voice cracked with fear.
“Leave! Now! Stars, if you know what’s good for you, get out!”
Their voice was frantic, a bit distorted. Whispering Moon’s eyes fluttered open, and she shifted her weight forward, rising back to her paws.
“I refuse.”
“Leave!”
“I refuse!”
Aureum’s breathing grew quicker, and they opened their mouth to speak once more, but was silenced by a large shockwave of wind from behind them. They turned, watching their ticket home begin to close. With a cry of panic, they lunged forward, reaching out with a paw. A flash like lightning doused the tunnel in white, and Aureum staggered back, their paw injured. Thin fresh wounds crept up their leg like veins, and they struggled against the wind, paws slipping.
The rift home closed with a bang, the wind getting even stronger and more violent. Whispering Moon backed away, and Aureum finally lost their footing, both cats being pushed out of the tunnel.
Upon hitting the detritus of the marsh floor, they gazed weakly up at the rift. It was the largest one they’d ever seen. With a mewl of defeat, they collapsed, and the rift flickered closed.
A WEEK OF CHAOS PASSED BY. Overwhelmed by shock, pain, and exhaustion, Aureum had passed out. Eventually, Whispering Moon was tracked down by Silver Antler and Shivering Cloud, and both were returned to camp and immediately seen by the medicine den. Aureum was out of commission for six nights, their limited power completely spent.
Across those days, the rift continued opening, disrupting hunts and endangering patrols. Prey was beginning to dwindle, not from the season, but from the rift. It was opening daily, sometimes even twice daily, snagging squirrels and mice from their nests and shipping them off neatly packaged to the world on the other side.
These days caused a moment of realization in the settlement. Despite the dangers Aureum brought, their presence here was necessary to prevent damage. For only they could command the portal between planes.
Even the standing judge and jury of the Court of Passing Dreams, who originally wished the golden outlander dead, were warming up to the idea of letting Aureum stick around. Whispering Moon, however, wanted to take it further.
Aureum had proven themselves plenty valiant, as all of their actions were for the protection of those around them. In Whispering Moon’s mind, it was time to cement their niche here once and for all.
When Aureum awoke, they were faced with a bombardment of questions. What was the last thing they saw? Did it hurt to close the rifts? I’m sorry for being so rude to you. Hey, Aureum, how are you feeling?
The sensation was foreign. Whispering Moon broke through the crowd, whisking Aureum off to the Skynest under the cover of a leafbare night.
“Try and get to sleep. I’ll see you up there.”
ACT IV
AUREUM VOTUM
GOLDEN VOW
THE STARPLANE IS AN UNWELCOMING place for uninvited guests. Especially when the guest is from a completely different world. Nevertheless, Whispering Moon led on, Aureum following her closely.
Whispering Moon didn’t miss a single shortcut, hurrying to Blinding Light. Upon reaching the starry cat, Whispering Moon didn’t even let it get a word in; quite out of character for the molly.
Whispering Moon relayed the specific details of the situation to the god, unflinching in its pure white gaze. She had one request; initiate Aureum as a guardian. Blinding Light, trusting of its sister’s reincarnation, granted her wish.
“Aureum. Step forward.”
The golden tabby took a step, Whispering Moon rushing away.
“Do you solemnly swear to protect this world against the rift, no matter the cost, even if it means losing your life?”
“I do.” Aureum dipped their head, breath catching in their throat.
“Then I, as the standing judge of the Court of Passing Dreams, hereby grant you the astral position of a guardian. From this day forth, you shall be known as Golden Vow, and you shall control the rift between our worlds.”
Blinding Light raised its paw, a gently glowing red star materializing from its paw pad. The star drifted slowly down to Golden Vow, like a snowflake, landing on their nose.
It was dark after that, and they awoke in the morning with a pounding headache and a vigor-filled sense of motivation.
“O VOID, HEAR MY STRENGTH!” The words echoed from Golden Vow’s very soul, exhausted after another rift closure.
“I shall never return to the land from which I was born! Do you hear me? I shall not!”
Golden Vow’s domain is not one of grace, not one of the common elegance a god has. Indeed, they are the barrier between worlds; the only thing keeping the ferrean from bleeding into The Marshland Settlement’s abode. It’s not a pretty task.
Constantly running around closing rifts, leaving them unable to take any of the typical jobs that a cat in The Marshland Settlement would have. Indeed, they take after Fermi more than Arengi. Luck is never on their side, and they certainly feel out of place enough.
As of recent, the rift has been slowing down; hopefully, as seasons pass, it’ll stop altogether. The force reaching, grasping, begging for the divine child to return home will assume them dead.
In the meantime, they’ve been testing their powers - and found mixed results. Power is dependent on definition, after all. In terms of magic, Golden Vow can’t do anything more than close the rifts. Perhaps it’s due to how far they are from home? They can’t freely access the Starplane; for the time being, Blinding Light has denied them entrance unless they’re chaperoned by Whispering Moon. For safety reasons.
But Golden Vow certainly holds social power. Whether it be the respect and understanding of their bloodline, or their abilities, or the fact that they’re cold in demeanor and generally large, it’s hard to tell. But cats occasionally pass them a smile, no longer bumping into them as they pass.
Not every ending can be happy; but this one might just be.