"So, Croak'mar has been defeated?"
Sitting on a throne, surrounded by various other animals; from platypuses, frogs, beavers, and snakes—was an alligator—though, unlike most alligators, it had a humanoid appearance, as did every other animal present.
"Yes, I'm afraid so, sire."
Speaking to the humanoid alligator on his throne was a cottonmouth snake who stood on two scaly legs.
"Intriguing." He said in a deep voice, resting his elbow on the armrest. "I've given Croak'mar the title, King of the Swamp, to rule over the Swamp Biome and keep the other beasts in check. He was supposed to be strong and reliable, yet another beast took his title?"
The walking snake nodded their head.
"From what I could gather, yes, another beast defeated Croak'mar and inherited his title. But there is also something odd that I discovered, your majesty."
The alligator leaned forward in his throne.
"Speak, Vipermouth."
The snake nodded.
"On Croak'mar's body, I have discovered... cat marks, my lord."
Every beast in the throne room widened their eyes. The moment Vipermouth uttered that last word, the atmosphere grew heavy, and you could practically hear the silence.
"...Cat marks?" Said one of the frogs in attendance as his throat pouch inflated with a nervous croak. "Surely you jest, Vipermouth, are you saying what I think you're saying?"
Another beast, a bulky platypus with jagged claws, frowned.
"Impossible! No cat could survive here, let alone kill Croak'mar with his title! The only one who could do something like that is-!" The platypus widened his eyes as something clicked. "Wait, are you saying..."
"Yes." Nodded Vipermouth. "This has to be the doing of Bubastis, the Cat that was blessed by Bastet herself."
Everyone gasped, then out of nowhere, a deep, guttural sound rumbled through the throne room.
"Hrrrrhh..."
It started as a low growl, vibrating the very stones beneath their feet before slowly rising into a deafening laugh.
"HRAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The alligator couldn't help himself, it was all too unreal.
"Oh, how delightful! How utterly delicious!"
He slammed his claw against the armrest, nearly cracking the stone beneath it as he leaned forward with amusement.
"After all these years... she finally dares to slither back into one of my domains!"
Every beast in the chamber flinched at his laughter, even Vipermouth himself remained perfectly still, knowing better than to interrupt.
"Bubastis... Bastet's little champion! The so-called Divine Beast of the felines." He said the words as if it was poison on his tongue. "How long has it been since our last dance? A few years? Maybe decades?"
He tilted his head back with a small chuckle.
"How bold! How stupid!" His laughter finally died down, leaving only a smirk at the edge of his scaled snout. "If the Chosen Feline of Bastet is here, then it must be for a good reason. No one in the swamp, who are a bunch of level 3's, is strong enough to defeat Croak'mar, a level 7 Beast! Only she could easily manhandle him."
Vipermouth raised his head.
"Shall we rally the other Swamp Lords, your majesty?"
The alligator king lifted a claw, silencing him.
"No... not yet." His tone dropped, menacingly. "Let her do her thing, Vipermouth, she is now within my domain. I've conquered many lands during these past five years, but the swamp had the lowest-leveled beasts out of them all. The only reason she is hiding there is because it's easier to survive with weaklings all around." He smirked with a slight frown. "We'll let her thrive and feel safe in her new home before we attack her when she least expects it."
Vipermouth became smug as he placed his hand on his chest, bowing.
"As you wish, Lord Sasobek."
The Alligator King, Sasobek, leaned back in his throne before his expression became serious in the matter.
"I'm one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Axis Mundi. I'd be damned if I let the Blessed of Bastet stop me from achieving my goal. We may all be part of the same species as Beasts, but they're only cats. A mere subspecies of Bastet herself!"
Vipermouth bowed his head once more.
"Understood, my lord. I'll have my scouts spread across the swamps immediately. The otters, frogs, and serpents will report any strange movements or new scents back to me."
Sasobek leaned back on his throne with one claw tapping the armrest, holding everyone's attention.
"Good." He said with a deep voice. "Let's keep an eye on her for now. No sudden moves or reckless attacks. If this truly is Bubastis, then she'll be cautious... but even cats grow lazy once they start to feel safe."
Everyone in the throne room felt nervous, while others were excited. Vipermouth, however, looked almost amused.
"You plan to let her believe she's in control?"
A grin spread across Sasobek's jaw.
"Pwa ha ha! That's my right-hand beast for you!" He slapped his hand on the throne. "Precisely, Vipermouth! The longer she stays hidden in the swamp, the easier it'll be to corner her. When she lets her guard down, then we strike."
The room went quiet again as every beast knew what that meant; when Lord Sasobek hunted, nothing survived. Thus, he rose from his throne with his massive tail dragging across the floor as he walked forward.
"Remember this, my fellow beasts. Cats are our enemies." He gained everyone's attention. "We alligators are descendants of Sobek. Snakes are descendants of Shesha. Frogs are descendants of Heqet. And the list goes on." He stopped in his tracks, frowning at his deep thoughts. "We all originated from our gods, but soon became a subspecies from domestication. Now we're much different."
Everyone widened their eyes, some confused, and others simply happy to hear their King speak.
"But cats...? Heh." He lowered his head into a smirk before frowning. "CATS ARE DESPICABLE!" Raising his head in a shout, his mere voice alone, trembled the castle's foundation, causing everyone to jump in unison.
"Those arrogant furballs have always looked down on us! Acting like they're superior because they are too 'sacred' to harm!" His tail slammed the floor as the impact cracked the ground beneath him. "But divinity doesn't make them better! Just because their creator loves them more than ours, doesn't mean we cannot kill them."
Sasobek frowned at the thought of those animals before lifting his palm and curling it into a fist.
"As much as I love our species, cats are the only exception." He grinned menacingly as everyone stared in disbelief. "I will wipe them from this world, as the one who inherits the title 'King of Beasts.' For I, and I alone, rule over beastkind, and decide what's good for our species."
"As you wish, my lord." Said Vipermouth, closing his eyes.
"We'll start small and take the marsh routes, tighten patrols, and choke their food sources. Make the swamp uncomfortable enough that she has to move out before we follow. When she flees, we drag her into the open."
Vipermouth lowered his head even deeper.
"I'll send word to the otters and the burrowers. We'll poison the ponds discreetly, though with nothing lethal, just enough to sicken her. And soon, she will be forced to hunt farther and expose herself."
There was a chorus of agreement as beasts nodded in sync.
"Good." Sasobek said. "We'll bend the swamp to our will and watch Bubastis squirm, and I'll enjoy every last second of it!"
+
"...ACHOO!" I sneezed so hard I nearly rolled out of the nest. Even my fur puffed up like I'd been electrocuted. "Ugh... did someone just talk crap about me behind my back?"
I muttered, rubbing my nose with a paw.
"Because I swear, that felt personal!"
The frog sitting next to me croaked as if I startled it.
"Oh, sorry, little dude. Didn't mean to startle you." I sighed and slumped back into the nest beside my brothers and sisters. "Man, it's been too quiet lately, huh? I wonder where Mom wandered off to after our little talk last night. Though it's weird, she's not overreacting about the fact that her two-day-old kitten can talk. I guess it's a cat thing or something."
The frog croaked again, but in a judgmental tone.
"What? No, I'm not talking to myself!" I told him before flicking his head with my tail. "I'm talking to you, don't look at me like that."
I suddenly widened my eyes, realizing something.
"Wait a minute. I should probably give you a name, huh?"
This whole freaking time I never even named the frog! What was I doing? If I'm supposed to be watching over this guy, then I'm a terrible babysitter!
"Uhh..." I lowered my head in thought before flattening my ears. Crap, I couldn't think of anything, this sucks. "What sounds... froggy? If that's even a word." I meowed. "What aboutttt, Anurael? Anura is a frog species... and add the 'el', it'll just be... Anurael! Yeah! How does that sound? Pretty cool, right?"
The frog blinked at me once... twice... and then this little sucker gave me an unimpressed croak which made me narrow my eyes.
"Oh, come on, that's a good name! It gives you that fantasy flair with a little touch of biology, bro!"
It let out another ribbit, but this time it sounded like he was serious.
I huffed a feline sigh.
"What do you wanna be called then? Sir Croaks-a-Lot? Lord of the Pond? Mr. Moist?"
He puffed his throat like he was trying not to respond, which somehow made me laugh harder.
"Heh, okay, okay, I'll stop. You'll just be called Anurael, whether you like it or not, capeesh?!"
Anurael stared at me, as if giving up on arguing with a talking cat.
Hah, looks like I win!