Chapter 1

Ashley panted hard, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. He knew he could not keep running. He would have to stop to fight. The mist swirled around his soft-booted feet, wisps of ghost tears. He was ready to stop and turn when he saw a chapel rise out of the vapor, the sun striking it through the early morning fog. He was sure he could find refuge here. The towers of the chapel, with the twin tears attached to each other by their points, rose up out of the fog like fingers stretching for the blue sky. Clutching his bleeding side, Ashley used his last bit of strength and endurance to run to the church.

He reached the double doors. They were both closed, but he pushed on them and they opened with ease. As soon as he saw the inside, he gasped. The fog was light, but it was enough to capture the rays of sun that filtered through the open windows. The scene was breathtaking. Elegant pillars rose up into the darkness, expressing the need to balance light with dark. At the very end of the hall was a statue of a cat. Above the black obsidian cat were the twin tears in gold and silver. Gold and silver streaks ran down her cheeks and seemed to pool on the floor at her svelte paws. Her limbs, neck, ears, and body were greatly elongated and sleeked out. Her paws were long and thin, one paw with claws retracted, the other with claws extended. By the claws extended pooled the gold, and the silver pooled at the retracted claws, and the two pools mingled together, expressing that everything is interwoven, even life and death. Around her throat was a sash of red that gently brushed the ground. Red symbolized love and healing. And her massive ears were pierced a few dozen times, each earring a symbol. And her nose was pieced with the Sacred Eye, a pure sapphire with a vein of obsidian running through its middle, an extremely rare occurance.

Out from around the pillars that led to the staute, came several cat monks, the eldest swinging a steaming cauldron with the symbol of the twin tears all over it. They chanted quietly, their deep, enchanting voices whispering through the room. Several smaller figures, dressed in the blood red robes, their hoods pulled up, their hands hidden in the folds, followed after them. They walked slow and steady steps. He could tell that these smaller ones were females.

Suddenly, one of the females, the smallest one, turned her head and looked at Ashley. He was still breathing hard, holding his bleeding side. His clothes and his silky blonde fur were staind with it. His yellow eyes met her piercing green ones. She broke away from the procession and hurried over to him. When she reached him, he fell to one knee and bowed his head. "O holy feline of The Great Felid, Maerin. I beg forgiveness for this intrusion." His voice was quiet and soft. His long hair fell over his shoulders, having been cut loose by his swift, unexpected battle with some highwaymen. He felt the female's soft, gentle hand touch his head.

"Please rise, great warrior. You are injured and need healing." Her voice was like silver chimes, wispy and beautiful beyond anything he had ever heard before. His ears flickered slightly, trying to clear them of that wonderful sound. But another sound came to him. One coming from outside of the temple.

He rose, turning as he did so, a throwing dagger, his trademark weapon, in his hand. A snarl bubbled in his throat but he kept it down, hoping that the thieves would pass on, leaving this holy place alone. But they entered, drawing sword and knife, and cocking crossbow. The monks' chanting stopped and they turned at the loud sound of steel boots upon the red marble floors. These were mostly humans who did not have respect for the cats' religion. Those few felines that were with them coward in fear and looked ready to run at the slightest sign of their goddess.

The leader, a hulking human, grinned and pointed his sword at Ashley. "Alright, cat! I'm gonna finish you!" He took a step towards Ashley.

In a blur, the little female appeared in front of him. "This is a holy place! You cannot fight in here!"

The man laughed. "Look, hon, I can fight anywhere I chose. And since the cat's in here, I'm gonna fight him in here." He pushed the female to the side and she fell to the marble floor. Her hood came off and she glared up at him.

Faster than the man could see, Ashley was at his throat. The dagger flashed in the morning light, danced with the light, embraced the light. The man did not. He fell back several steps, his throat slashed, but not deep enough to split the Life Vein. The man choked and fell to his knees, dropping his sword with a clatter to the blood red floor. His own blood dripped through his fingers.

The other men looked at each other as Ashley turned to face them. "Leave now! And you," he pointed to his fellow cats, "are a disgrace! I shame you and your families for generations to come!" These cats bowed their heads and let their tails drag along the ground as they helped their leader out of the temple.

Ashley turned to the little female now. His breath caught in his throat. She had a beautiful and soft looking grey tabby pelt. Her little face was the cutest and most beautiful he had ever seen. She had small ears, and plenty of white and black whiskers. Her long tail looked like it came off of a snow leopard it was so fluffy. Her green eyes were bright and clear and she had a small pink nose. Bowing, Ashley helped her up. He kneeled before her. "I ask for forgiveness for the blood I have shed upon this holy ground."

The female smiled. "You have likely saved us all. You are granted forgiveness, Great Warrior. Please rise and tell me your name."

Ashley stood, a whole head and shoulder taller than the little tabby. "I am known as Ashley. I was separated from my friends in the storm last night. I was looking for them with first light when I was attacked. I don't suppose there is a town nearby that they could have found themselves at?""

"I am Silve, though most call me Sil. You may call me however you like." Silve smiled charmingly. "And I am certain the Mother Maerin is watching over your friends and will unite you all soon."

"Excuse me, good sir," the eldest of the monks, an old black cat with a broad black nose, a large build, and not a spot of white on any part of him, shuffled over. His dull yellow eyes were still clear and full of life and wisdom. He had seen much in his lifetime. His broad scarred head, broad nicked ears, and the chipped fang all suggested his rather "unholy" beginnings. He pulled back his hood, looked up at Ashley who was tall for one of their kind. He was only about 5'4, but that was one for the record. "I am called Stormy, the Elder Monk." His voice was deep and slow, and his large belly shook slightly as he moved, his short tail held relaxed under his robes. "I thank you for saving our temple from those forsaken few. May The Great Felid watch over and guide their souls to the light. As for you, you need to be healed."

Ashley was about to protest, to say that he really did not expect anything from them, but he did not have that chance. The old cat reached forward and gently touched his wound which still bled slowly. In the instant his hand touched it, Ashley felt a warm tingling sensation and when the elder pulled away his padded hand, his wound was gone, barely even a scar. Silve looked up at her Elder Monk. "I will take him to a room and give him some fresh clothes and food, Holy One." She bowed to him and he nodded his head once slowly. He again thanked Ashley, who in turn thanked him for the healing.

Silve led him from the main temple to the back temple, which was a smaller, more private place for the monks to pray and study. Smaller statues of the Great Goddess lined the walls, alternating between black and white, a black one staring at a white one across from it. The Cats believed in Balance above all things. Life and Death, Peace and Violence, Light and Dark. One could not exist without the presence of the other. If only good things happened, then there would be no such thing as good. If there was only the color blue, blue wouldn't exist.

Silve led Ashley to a room that was simply furnished, with a fairly large bed, a table with a few chairs, a trunk, and a dresser with a mirror. Silve went over to the trunk and pulled out a red robe. "I'm sorry, but these are all we carry. If you like, you can bathe before putting it on."

Ashley smiled. "That would be lovely." Silve smiled, her ears slightly back to show her slight embarrassment. She led him to the pool that the male monks used as the bath. She laid the robe and a towel on a bench for him when he was finished. After she left, Ashley pulled off his brown vest, blue tunic, and brown leggings. He then wad into the warm water. They still sometimes went to the ancient way of their ancesters by licking themselves, but since the humans gave them tongues very similar to their own in the genetic mutations, they perferred not to. Ashley's blonde fur, with very light stripes of a darker yellow, waved about him in the water. He relaxed, considering his good fortune. Yet he could not get the thought of his friends still lost out of his mind. He had to find them, even if his Goddess was watching over them.