WIP

...in a land forever far, there was a small but lively kitten born to the vain widow queen of Sorrowen. The kitten was born of vibrancy, with colors of pink, blue, and purple dancing together. Her eyes shined of topaz gemstones and twinkled like diamonds. She was given the name Princess Melancali for the lovely melanin of her flesh and the calico patterns of her fur. The queendom adored her as their only heiress and, much to the Queen's pleasure, she was known as the most striking princess of all lands.

The spirited kitten princess made home of the castle in a land of unusalalities. The queendom was especially known for its kind to have nine chances of life. With each passing life the person would fall silent and still, appearing to have transitioned into the afterlife, for up to nine hours before waking and taking their first breath of the beginning of their next. It was not until all nine sleeps of life occurred that they would remain in the eternal slumber of death. It was truly a land of remarkable gift.

Yet, the Queen had eyes of vanity and proudly sought to have the most beautiful queendom of all, disregarding the gift of life extension already bestowed upon her lands. After the birth of the princess, it seemed she was more driven to adorn the kingdom in visual luxuries and enhancements. She vowed to banish all unsightliness from her queendom, ridding it of anything and anyone not appearing delightful to her eye.

One especially beautiful day the guardsmen approached the throne with an old, withered hag. The queen's face turned to disgust as she looked over the hunched woman with harsh judgement. The ugly woman stood quietly with her head bowed as the Queen's sharp tongue spewed of her bitter mind. Then, she flung her bejeweled hand into the air and ordered to cast out the eyesore forevermore.

The hag gasped with a surprise and lifted her eyes to meet the Queen's decorated face. The Queen suddenly fell silent and sat motionless, and clouds poured over the sunlight to dim the castle. The old woman began to hiss a rhyme and time paused for all. Now revealed as a witch, she approached the bassinet by the throne and spoke a terrible curse over the kitten princess. The curse robbed all but one life from the princess, leaving her without the land's exceptional gift.

When the old woman closed her lips time resumed its pace. The guardsmen rushed to her side but as their paws touched her fur her image burst into dust. She was seen nevermore.

The Queen demanded the curse be kept secret from Princess Melancali as to not cause her royal image to be tainted. The witnessing guards were sworn to secrecy. Orders were sent to all of the queendom to treat the princess with excessive delicacy, and it was claimed the kitten was found to be born with a special gift that required treatment of fragility in favor for a more prosperous land.

Princess Melancali grew treated in frailness as ordered and was dearly beloved for her compassion. Unlike the Queen, Princess Melancali had a warm heart for all others and was not preoccupied with the hollowness of appearances. She believed herself to be only as beautiful any other life, and having no exceptional gift of allure as her mother so proudly boasted.

It is important to know of rituals and the coming-of-age practices of the unique people of Sorrowen. It is said that to cross from kittenhood into the age of maturity one of eight lives must be risked and loss must be experienced. The rite was not generally viewed as excessive throughout the queendom and was an expectation to be celebrated within families.

Just as any youth, the Princess daydreamed of passing into the phase of life in which she would be eligible to find true love without assistance. Though, her thoughts were often spoiled when she was reminded by castle maidens that royalty, princesses especially, did not participate in the barbaric ritual and that all of her lives were very important to keep maintained. In attempt to reassure the princess that experiencing life lost was unnecessary, the Queen would oft host elaborate balls at the castle to allow for a suitable prince to approach the beautiful Princess, but none ever felt the pull of love for her.

As the Princess' friends amongst the queendom experienced the life loss, she grew anxious to do so as well. Her daydreams of true love grew stronger, and her patience faded weaker. It was a day of rain when she set forth to take the risk, making promise to keep the loss secret from the Queen. It was also a day of weeping when a chamber maid stumbled upon her lifeless body, and none within the castle walls could wake the Princess from the death slumber.

What is more unusual of the land of unusualities is that nature herself also mourned for the loss of the beautiful Princess of vibrancy. Days of light rain turned heavy, and left a sky always cast in grey shadowy clouds that swirled without end. The air was with constant blowing chill. Gone would be the days of fruitful harvests and the warmth of sun rays. The land became cool, dark, and unkind to the villagers.

The Queen's eye forgot that of seeking luxury and focused only upon her lost kitten. She mourned day and night by the Princess' side, hoping she would suddenly wake to life once more. Upon the tenth day of life lost, the Queen accepted the burial of the Princess, and wept over her tomb for hours afterward until her paws began to sink into the muddied soil.

Returning to the castle felt like a journey for the Queen, but when she entered that eve she felt a strange energy within the air. Disheveled, she fell to the floor of her private chamber, but laid in distress for only a short time before the energy sparked into a bright burst that lit the castle. Despite the oddity of the flash, she remained unmotivated to lift her body from where it laid against the cool tiles.

The patting of paws against the castle floors could be heard rushing from all rooms as the maids and caretakers searched for the mysterious bright wave of light that had disappeared. The Queen remained on the floor in a mix of silent awe and despair when her door creaked open and a soft movement approached her. She could faintly hear soft fabric gently swaying closer until it sounded upon her. It was then she peered up and saw a young, grey cat standing above her, wearing the Princess' night gown.

The cat above was slender, with a sleek feminine shape, and her fur had the same patterns of the Princess' stripes, moles, and markings. Her fur was grey, her stripes nearly black, and the only color to her appeared from her hauntingly glowing eyes. Her eyes shined, glowed, and seemed to radiate all at once bright vibrancy of pink and purple. ...This is incomplete. I am still drawing inspiration.