Post by Admin on Dec 31, 2017 22:40:22 GMT
History
150 years ago...
A husband and wife pair move out into the wilderness to make a new life for themselves and their future children. They build a barn and small plot of farmland with their own four hands, before taking their extra money and buying provisions. Seed, fertilizer, and extra food was first; then the livestock. First came two cows, who would bring rise to a great herd one day. Then a few pigs to keep times moving. Sheep came last, to provide wool for the family. Then they bought their friends: two collies and six cats. The collies were to tend to the animals, to keep them moving and safe from the dangerous wildlife. The cats came to protect the family from diseased mice, rats, crows and ravens that would surely steal their food and poison the livestock.
These cats lived in great comfort. They were given the fatty extras from all the culled creatures, as well as soft beds to sleep on made from wool the family was unable to use. They got the occasional treat from the gardens and free range of the great farm. Within the year, offspring were born. The cows had their calves, the pigs their piglets, the sheep their lambs. The two farmers had children, the dogs had pups, and the cats of course had many, many kittens.
The farm grew. More children of all kinds were born, year after year, until the farm could simply not contain it all. The children were grown by then, and decided to move out. As a housewarming gift once they had settled, they were each given two of their parents' livestock: two cows, two pigs, two sheep, two dogs... and two cats.
Their children got married and made homes close by. Generations came and went. More farms came in, until there was no longer a need for it. Someone built a small market with a home in the back. More still built textile shops, carpenters workplaces... soon it was a booming little village.
And of course their most aloof civilians, the cats, profited greatly.
100 years ago...
More people came into the newly-formed village. Some married in, some were troubled by a past they wished to forget, and others simply came for the fun of it. All the time, the cats profited off what the humans didn't want. The cats rooted through the rubbish, they caught the rats and mice, they played with the curious children and tormented the leashed dogs. They stalked every path and street, looking for their next easy-caught meal.
Soon it was true that there were just as many wild cats as there were house cats, and the groups were growing more and more removed. The street cats watched in equal envy and pity as the housecats were trapped inside. They never had to hunt for their daily meal. They never had to fret and worry if their offspring would survive. They never had to shiver alone during the coldest of nights. Soon the bitterness became so great that the two groups never talked at all.
However, as more humans piled in, so too did the cats. They hunted so efficiently that they ate more birds, mice and rats than they could reproduce in a mating season. The cats didn't care. They didn't care even a little bit. They loved the taste of their kills. It made them feel triumphant! And so the hunting continued, and the population of both cats and humans rose...
50 years ago...
It was only too late that the cats realized they had overhunted everything. The mice and rats had either died or fled, for their offspring were dying so quickly that they lost heart. The birds remembered how the felines raided their nest of precious eggs and fledges, and no longer nested. Even the squirrels were afraid of the silent stalkers! Only a few typical prey creatures still roamed the village, which was now a bustling town! Many cats died of starvation, sickness, and simply being killed. Now that all the vermin were gone, the humans saw the feral cats as vermin: especially when they beat up their beloved housepets and stole out of their garbage cans. So the cats were forced to roam the streets in secrecy.
This time was so miserably helpless that not much is known about it. Only that it was harsh...
25 years ago...
There were so few feral cats in the town that people began to disregard them once again. A few - particularly the younger ones - were taken in and adopted to homes, regardless of whether or not the mother of the kittens was alive. Many queens came back to their den in a box, or a hole under an abandoned building, to find their kittens all gone.
It was in this time that legend of a cat known as Vine. It was said that she lived on the outskirts of town, in an abandoned home once owned by a historically notorious cat-killer. One night under a New Moon, she arrived and stood atop the Stone Twoleg, yowling. She told all those who came to investigate to meet her under the next full moon, to follow her scent to her dwelling. She promised life would be easier if they all did as told.
True enough.. they did. All the cats came forward, and looked as she explained her purpose. She came from a faraway place called a city, much larger than where she was now. There she belonged to a group of cats who supported one another. The queens nursed their children together, and all cats hunted for the old, sick and weak. She proposed that if the cats lived here in her den with them, they would no longer go hungry, and their children would no longer be stolen from their dens before they opened their eyes. This sounded like a good proposal, and nearly all the cats agreed. Those who didn't simply left.
Vine immediately set to work, designating a safe spot for all the prey to be placed during the day. She made a rule that only nursing females would be allowed to eat first, due to them carrying precious cargo and caring for the future generation. All cats agreed. She then decided that any cats not in their group would be chased off. The cats agreed to this as well; those outsider-cats wouldn't be contributing to anything, only stealing their food!
Soon their group was thriving, and they decided to have a new name: the Tribe.
Current Day...
The Tribe is suffering, as their ancestors once did. Their numbers grew too high after Vine's rule, and now that her daughter rules, times are rough once again. The prey is once more scarce, and to boot, the twolegs are back on the cats' tails. There's even less to hunt than before, and the twolegs are on extra-vigilence. Will the tribe be able to make it through and survive past this hard spot yet again, or will this be the end of them forever?
150 years ago...
A husband and wife pair move out into the wilderness to make a new life for themselves and their future children. They build a barn and small plot of farmland with their own four hands, before taking their extra money and buying provisions. Seed, fertilizer, and extra food was first; then the livestock. First came two cows, who would bring rise to a great herd one day. Then a few pigs to keep times moving. Sheep came last, to provide wool for the family. Then they bought their friends: two collies and six cats. The collies were to tend to the animals, to keep them moving and safe from the dangerous wildlife. The cats came to protect the family from diseased mice, rats, crows and ravens that would surely steal their food and poison the livestock.
These cats lived in great comfort. They were given the fatty extras from all the culled creatures, as well as soft beds to sleep on made from wool the family was unable to use. They got the occasional treat from the gardens and free range of the great farm. Within the year, offspring were born. The cows had their calves, the pigs their piglets, the sheep their lambs. The two farmers had children, the dogs had pups, and the cats of course had many, many kittens.
The farm grew. More children of all kinds were born, year after year, until the farm could simply not contain it all. The children were grown by then, and decided to move out. As a housewarming gift once they had settled, they were each given two of their parents' livestock: two cows, two pigs, two sheep, two dogs... and two cats.
Their children got married and made homes close by. Generations came and went. More farms came in, until there was no longer a need for it. Someone built a small market with a home in the back. More still built textile shops, carpenters workplaces... soon it was a booming little village.
And of course their most aloof civilians, the cats, profited greatly.
100 years ago...
More people came into the newly-formed village. Some married in, some were troubled by a past they wished to forget, and others simply came for the fun of it. All the time, the cats profited off what the humans didn't want. The cats rooted through the rubbish, they caught the rats and mice, they played with the curious children and tormented the leashed dogs. They stalked every path and street, looking for their next easy-caught meal.
Soon it was true that there were just as many wild cats as there were house cats, and the groups were growing more and more removed. The street cats watched in equal envy and pity as the housecats were trapped inside. They never had to hunt for their daily meal. They never had to fret and worry if their offspring would survive. They never had to shiver alone during the coldest of nights. Soon the bitterness became so great that the two groups never talked at all.
However, as more humans piled in, so too did the cats. They hunted so efficiently that they ate more birds, mice and rats than they could reproduce in a mating season. The cats didn't care. They didn't care even a little bit. They loved the taste of their kills. It made them feel triumphant! And so the hunting continued, and the population of both cats and humans rose...
50 years ago...
It was only too late that the cats realized they had overhunted everything. The mice and rats had either died or fled, for their offspring were dying so quickly that they lost heart. The birds remembered how the felines raided their nest of precious eggs and fledges, and no longer nested. Even the squirrels were afraid of the silent stalkers! Only a few typical prey creatures still roamed the village, which was now a bustling town! Many cats died of starvation, sickness, and simply being killed. Now that all the vermin were gone, the humans saw the feral cats as vermin: especially when they beat up their beloved housepets and stole out of their garbage cans. So the cats were forced to roam the streets in secrecy.
This time was so miserably helpless that not much is known about it. Only that it was harsh...
25 years ago...
There were so few feral cats in the town that people began to disregard them once again. A few - particularly the younger ones - were taken in and adopted to homes, regardless of whether or not the mother of the kittens was alive. Many queens came back to their den in a box, or a hole under an abandoned building, to find their kittens all gone.
It was in this time that legend of a cat known as Vine. It was said that she lived on the outskirts of town, in an abandoned home once owned by a historically notorious cat-killer. One night under a New Moon, she arrived and stood atop the Stone Twoleg, yowling. She told all those who came to investigate to meet her under the next full moon, to follow her scent to her dwelling. She promised life would be easier if they all did as told.
True enough.. they did. All the cats came forward, and looked as she explained her purpose. She came from a faraway place called a city, much larger than where she was now. There she belonged to a group of cats who supported one another. The queens nursed their children together, and all cats hunted for the old, sick and weak. She proposed that if the cats lived here in her den with them, they would no longer go hungry, and their children would no longer be stolen from their dens before they opened their eyes. This sounded like a good proposal, and nearly all the cats agreed. Those who didn't simply left.
Vine immediately set to work, designating a safe spot for all the prey to be placed during the day. She made a rule that only nursing females would be allowed to eat first, due to them carrying precious cargo and caring for the future generation. All cats agreed. She then decided that any cats not in their group would be chased off. The cats agreed to this as well; those outsider-cats wouldn't be contributing to anything, only stealing their food!
Soon their group was thriving, and they decided to have a new name: the Tribe.
Current Day...
The Tribe is suffering, as their ancestors once did. Their numbers grew too high after Vine's rule, and now that her daughter rules, times are rough once again. The prey is once more scarce, and to boot, the twolegs are back on the cats' tails. There's even less to hunt than before, and the twolegs are on extra-vigilence. Will the tribe be able to make it through and survive past this hard spot yet again, or will this be the end of them forever?
Plot
You are in the second or third generation of the Tribe's existence. You know all about your duties: hunt for the old and the weak, support the Tribe,
and all catkind will prosper from your efforts. However, times are hard. You hardly ever catch more than a sickly mouse each day, and the future looks bleak. The elders tell stories of a time long-past when starvation like this was commonplace. But will you be able to find a way to feed the Tribe... and yourself?
Only time will tell if fate says "survive" or "die."
You are in the second or third generation of the Tribe's existence. You know all about your duties: hunt for the old and the weak, support the Tribe,
and all catkind will prosper from your efforts. However, times are hard. You hardly ever catch more than a sickly mouse each day, and the future looks bleak. The elders tell stories of a time long-past when starvation like this was commonplace. But will you be able to find a way to feed the Tribe... and yourself?
Only time will tell if fate says "survive" or "die."