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Summary: After a series of troubling nightmares, a young Zolnixi named Lilly discovers that a huge group of Sylestis has been driven out of their home territory by an unspeakable force, and she must save them. Along with Yale the Vulnyx and her Zolnixi mate, Flower, Lilly will have to lead the Sylestis home and fight a danger Sylestia has never faced before.

Contents:
Prologue
Chapter 1 part 1
Chapter 1 part 2
Chapter 1 part 3
Chapter 2 part 1
Chapter 2 part 2
Chapter 2 part 3
Chapter 2 part 4
Chapter 3 part 1
Chapter 3 part 2
Chapter 3 part 3
Chapter 3 part 4
Chapter 4 part 1
Chapter 4 part 2
Chapter 5 part 1
Chapter 5 part 2

Characters:
Lilly - female Zolnixi
Yale - male Vulnyx
Flower - female Zolnixi
The Exiled:
Majestic - male Faelora, one of the two leaders of the Exiled, hails from the Southern region
Perseus - male Lighira, one of the two leaders of the Exiled, hails from the Northern region
Lunarnight - female Luffox, a star-seer from the Southern region
Whipporwill - male Aurelon, a messenger from the Southern region
Tempest - female Lighira, a messenger from the Northern region
Nyx - female Vulnyx, Yale's mother, formerly a rogue but now living with the Northern region
God's Warriors:
Lady Kai Darkwing - female Nephini, one of the leaders
Master Snowmark - male Griffi, the second leader
Script - female Zolnixi, the third leader

Northern Region
Mostly hunters/meat eaters. Includes: Aurleon, Draeyl, Griffi, Kelpari, Lighira, Lupora, Morkko, Ny'vene, Nytekrie, (rarely) Puffadore, Vulnyx, and Zolnixi.

Southern Region
Mostly plant-eaters/prey species. Includes: Aeridini, Aurleon, Bulbori, Faelora, Griffi, Luffox, Lunemara, Nephini, (rarely) Puffadore, Qitari, Ryori, Sylvorpa, Vulnyx, and Zolnixi.

There will likely be many more characters needed for the story, so if you'd like to see your character included, ping or PM me!

Pinglist:
Cyanidae,Esylana,Flightofthedragon,Jeaniec,Xialey,Typhlosion,Greenmann,Mewsalot2017

Prologue

Twenty days and nights of nothing but traveling had taken its toll on the huge mass of Sylestis making their way down from the mountains and across the plains. There had been little time to eat or drink while they fled their doomed homes, as most of their time was spent fleeing from their assailants. Outside of their home territories, the prey quickly became less abundant for the meat-eaters, and the foliage, where there was any, was scraggly, tough, and hard to come by. It didn't take long for food to run out, and the air was filled with the wails of hatchlings whose mothers could no longer feed them. Those who hadn't starved, or fallen from steep cliffs, or died from dehydration or exhaustion were nothing but skin and bones by this point, pushed on by nothing but sheer desperation. Perseus, one of the leaders, found himself distressed over these facts as they came to a stop near the base of the mountain to finally rest.

Perseus and those he looked after had come from the Northern region of these lands, and were used to living in the mountains. They had been living there, content for thousands of years, and Perseus himself had grown up there before he was elected leader. His paws had grown used to navigating endless systems of caves, clinging to rocks and making critical decisions to survive life in the mountains, keeping his Tribe strong. Now, he found himself mostly controlled by the basic instincts of survival, his body overcoming his mind in a fight to stay alive. He'd even taking to scavenging like a vulture off of kills long-dead, ignoring the threat of disease in favor of the minute chance of a meal.

However, there was still something of his old self left in him. Perseus had managed to make a kill; a deer, a distant cousin of the Faelora, and a small one, barely fit to feed a single Lighira of his size. But then, he wasn't planning on eating it, himself. Instead, he dragged it over to where a few of his Tribe's mothers laid with their hatchlings, depositing it in front of them so that they could feed.

"Oh, Perseus, thank you so." The male turned upon hearing someone addressing him, recognizing it as Aphrodite, one of his mates. Although the two of them currently had no cubs, Aphrodite made it her job to watch over and take care of the other mothers and their hatchlings, feeling as though she had a duty to them. She was a strong, capable mate, but even she couldn't escape the effects of undernourishment. Her coat, which had once been sleek and shiny, was now rough and dull. Her eyes drooped, as did her lips, and her face was hollow and thin. One could count each of her ribs just by looking at her, and she appeared as if she might fade away at any moment. "The mothers and hatchlings have had such a hard time. We've lost so many."

Leaning forward, Perseus pressed his muzzle against hers in a comforting gesture, noticing the way she looked down and her shoulders drooping. "Do not blame yourself, Aphrodite. There is nothing we could do."

"We should have stayed to fight," she sighed, shaking a bit as she leaned against Perseus. "There might have been a chance, if we'd only had..."

"Our enemies possessed the powers of the Gods," Perseus told her, leaning down to lick her ears. "We could never have defeated them, my love. We would have lost more had we stayed." The two looked over to where the mothers and hatchlings were cleaning off the remains, having stripped the deer down to its bones. They'd taken to cracking the bones to get at the nutritious marrow, and Perseus decided to leave them be. "Eat some, Aphrodite. I know you haven't. The woods nearby hold some prey, if you'd like to hunt."

Aphrodite looked to him as if to protest, but his knowing gaze silenced her. Even though he, too, was a shadow of his former glory, he still had a powerful and piercing gaze, and the aura of a great leader. Nodding in understanding, the female set off to go hunt, her tail dragging limply in the dust behind her.

Folding his legs so that they rested under him, Perseus, himself finally laid down, his head drooping as he closed his eyes. He had to be strong, for his Tribe, but he couldn't help but fear that their ancestors had abandoned them, and that all of them were going to die anyway, be it from their enemies or from starvation. Hoping that he was wrong, Perseus willed his ancestors to send him a sign, any sign, as he drifted off to sleep, the stars blinking slowly overhead.

Chapter 1: The Message

There was no thrill greater than that of the hunt. Lilly believed this with all her heart as she plunged through the deep undergrowth, tiny paws moving quickly through the grass and bushes, nose pressed to the ground. The spirit of hunting flowed in her blood and was forged in her bones; she was built for it, and she knew it. Slinking deeper into the forest, she parted her jaws slightly to hopefully catch a scent.

There! Lilly's muscles went taut as she spotted a mouse in front of her. The tiny creature was completely engrossed on gnawing on a mushroom, not noticing Lilly there at all. Perfect. An easy kill was just what she needed.

Sliding through the grass, Lilly stopped just in front of the creature, paw raised, ready to strike. Her hindquarters wriggled with excitement, adrenaline coursing through her body, and then--

Leaping into the air, Lilly pounced, coming down on the mouse with her two front paws. It barely had time to squeak before she leaned down and snapped her jaws around it, quickly ending its struggle, and its life. Now that the hunt was over, she leaned back on her haunches, keeping one paw over it as she sent a prayer to the ancestors, thanking them for her kill and for this meal. Just as she was going to take a bite, a voice made her pause.

"You are a well-trained hunter." Whirling around, Lilly's fur stood on end as she locked eyes with a male Lighira standing across the clearing from her, tail swishing slowly from side to side. Although he didn't seem to be aggressive, she kept her hackles raised as he approached, golden eyes looking her up and down. "That mouse didn't even notice you."

"I am a good hunter," Lilly finally said, her voice coming out a bit high. Clearing her throat, she continued, trying to make herself look more intimidating in the face of this massive creature. "I'm Lilly. Who are you? I've never seen you around here. Who's your owner?"

"I have no owner," the Lighira said, lifting his head proudly. "My name is Perseus. I am the leader of a group of Sylesti who were chased out of our homes by beings so terrifying, none have ever heard nor spoken of them."

"How are you here?" Lilly stepped away from her kill, and as she did, it vanished into thin air. A dream. She was dreaming. Her tail lashed in displeasure, and Perseus's ears flicked. "How--"

"How I got here is of no concern," he replied. "What matters is that my Tribe is in danger, and so is yours." Tilting her head curiously, Lilly narrowed her eyes. "What chased us is sure to come to chase you, too, and if you are not prepared, it will be the end of your world as you know it."

"What am I supposed to do about it?" Lilly countered, pinning her ears flat against her skull. None of this made sense.

"What you must," said Perseus simply, and as he did, he turned, fading into the background just as the mouse had done a few seconds earlier. Lilly went to cry out for him, but her voice didn't come from her throat, and she could no longer hear anything. Instead, her ears were barraged by a cacophony of screams and wails, terrifying noises from creatures frightened out of their wits.

[end of part 1]

have you read the warrior series before?

Yep ^^ it's one of my favorite series

Ohhhhh.... You're writing reminds of me of warriors so I was just curious. Have you read all of the books? It's my all-time favorite series. I can't wait for the release of Mothflight's Vision.

It's pretty good so far, if rather short; however I would not continue to read it as of now just because it took me about three minutes to finish everything you've written so far, and it is almost exactly like the beginning of the Warriors series (again, as of now). It's alright to draw upon a series for inspiration, but it is not okay to just rewrite the series with slight changes. ^^;

This is just my humble opinion, feel free to take it with a grain of salt.

I actually didn't draw any inspiration from Warriors, I'm not rewriting anything...

[part two]

Lilly woke with a start, finding her fur still standing on end. It stayed that way for a moment, before she realized that she was home, and safe, and then her fur finally flattened. She'd been curled up at the foot of her owner's bed, since she was his favorite, but now she found herself uneasy and wanting to leave. The bed felt cursed, somehow, and she leaped off of the bed and over to the door.

Pushing the door open, Lilly went to the kitchen, checking her bowl to see if anything had been left there. Occasionally, some of the Sylesti who lived outside would bring in parts of their kills to the inside Sylesti, and today, Lilly was lucky. The leg of a freshly killed rabbit sat in her bowl, which only meant one thing; Flower had been out hunting. Rabbits were her mate's favorite prey, and if it was fresh, that meant she was still awake. Perfect.

Sitting down to tuck into the leg, Lilly re-played her dream in her mind, shuttering as she thought of the screams she'd heard at the last minute. This wasn't the first odd dream or nightmare she'd had in the past few weeks; she kept having visions of mountains, of huge masses of Sylesti making their way down treacherous pathways and cliffs. The worst was the one with the avalanche. One of the huge snow slides had triggered in one of her dreams, smashing into the groups of Sylesti and burying them under tons of snow. Some managed to make it out, but the haunted cries of mothers who had lost their hatchlings kept ringing in her ears.

When she'd finished her meal, Lilly stood, licking her lips and doing some quick grooming before she went outside to face her mate. They'd been together for some time now, ever since Flower had been brought back with her owner after a trip to the city. Apparently he'd found her there, starving and dirty--what a change a few days made! Now her coat was thick, her eyes were bright, and her muscles strong. She was so unlike the wild Sylesti she'd seen in her dreams.

The dreams simply wouldn't leave her, would they? Until now, Lilly hadn't spoken to anyone about the dreams, preferring to keep them to herself, and doubting that anyone would listen. However, Flower seemed to have a knack for these sort of things; sometimes the human would call her a "little psychologist", whatever that meant. Trotting across the linoleum floor, Lilly pushed through the small flap on the kitchen door, leading her outside to the garden, where the moon bathed the flowers and grass in a bright, silver light. A few of the outside Sylesti were there, sleeping or grooming each other, but they paid her no mind as she walked down the gravel path. The tiny rocks crunched between her toes, but she didn't shiver or complain. Although she lived inside, Lilly was a hunting Zolnixi, and was quite used to getting her feet dirty.

Underneath one of the huge rose bushes, Lilly found her. Sticking her head underneath it, she prodded flower gently with her nose. The other female lifted her head to look over her shoulder, and then smiled. "Lilly." Her voice was gentle and smooth, comparable to that of a silk dress, fluttering slightly in the breeze.

Flower emerged from her hiding place, and then gave Lilly a nuzzle, moving to press her body against hers as they walked. "What brings you out here, sweetheart? You rarely ever leave the home at night."

"I needed to talk with someone," Lilly replied, her voice a bit cautious. "I've--been having these weird dreams, and I really need to talk to someone about them. I'm--scared of what they might mean."

[end of part 2]

Whoops, forgot to ping you.