Mistica Chronicles


Welcome to Issue 84

Silcoonsixx Winning Entry

It was a cloudless February night in Mistica, and the moons shone high overhead like glowing zokuleon orbs. It was a perfect night for taking a walk, and while doing just that you happened to spot a small figure rushing through the nearby tall grass, on its way to some unknown destination. Out of curiosity you decided to follow it. Suddenly the figure stopped, and there before it was fairly large cave. A soft warm glow, along with several hushed voices, emanated from its depths.

The figure moved towards the opening and a small voice had called out. "Hey guys, I think Gimiki's finally arrived!" What must have been Gimiki then stepped into the light and revealed herself to be a brightly coloured tropical anya. Greeting the female feline were the faces of many pets seated around a flickering fire. "So," she said rather cheerfully to the group. "You all ready for a story about my Uncle Murphy?" Intrigued, you silently made your way inside and sat alongside the others. It seemed as if everyone in the cave was eager to hear the anya's story, and she knew it.

"Many years ago around this very same time, there was a young nocturnal anya who lived in the Banshee Swamp. Unlike most other anyai, he lived on his own away from his twin brother and the rest of his family. He was fairly anti-social and the only creature he ever really spent time with was the infamous Rougarou. The locals described the friendship between Murphy and Rougarou as 'odd and unnatural'.

"One year when the Revelry celebrations sprung up once again, the odd duo thought it would be fun to leave their isolated cave together and actually join the festivities that they had only watched from afar up until then. The two of them sprang across the murky landscape, discussing the fun they'd have all the while. Once they reached the party though, Murphy soon realized that he had misread the future he had seen previously. What should have been an amazing party rapidly turned into a tomato flinging contest. The large smelly beast was unwanted in town. Even Bud the bum had been spotted flinging rotten fruit. Unsure of what to do, Murphy convinced his friend to go home. He promised he'd return later with food and other items.

"Not a soul dares share what happened during that year's Revelry. From what I've heard though, Murphy kept his promise to the Rougarou and returned later on with many goods, so many that he had a several townspeople follow him back unwillingly with their paws full. The Rougarou was pleased at this, but he was also upset towards those who turned him away that first day. Something in him changed and he soon became what we are all familiar with today. Murphy decided many days after he returned from Revelry that he would no longer be staying with his canid pal, instead he wanted to travel and explore the world. Though, to this very day you might still see a rather scruffy looking nocturnal anya approach the Rougarou's home once Revelry has finished, trailing behind him a cart full of fascinating goods."

Gimiki's story was finished as far as everyone could tell, but none of them spoke a word. Instead, they all just stared in the colourful storyteller's direction with skeptical looks. You could understand why they looked uncertain about how much of that story was true. Many anyai were known for weaving fibs into their daily discussions and stories. You on the other hand had a feeling that this story contained nothing but the truth. Rather than dampen the mood with any objections, the group just clapped their paws and claws together as pleasantly as they could and then moved on to the next story teller. It wasn't quite how you had planned to spend that night, but you stayed in that cave listening to all sorts of stories until the sun began to rise over Mistica once more.