History of Digit

Starlight began to litter the darkening sky as the sun set over the jungle treetops. It was the 22nd eve of the hollow month. A midst a small alcove a young female panther was busy nursing her baby cub as the nightlife through out the forest began to come alive. Wind speeds increased, howling around the young cub as he huddled closer against his mother’s body, hungrily drinking his fill of his warm milk. It had been his first day amongst the lands of Norland, and his mother was to make sure it was not his last. All around him the sounds of the night filled his ears, keeping him close under his mother’s protection until daybreak came.

It was during the day that the young cub spent most of his time slumbering. As the moon rose high in the sky each day he would stretch out and peer into his twilight playground. Always the curious feline he would often find trouble before it ever had a chance to find him. Quite small for his size, his mother took extra care to watch over him, at times a bit too protective for him to ever truly grasp the chance to learn in his youth. It was in fact not until much later in his life that he was able to venture off on his own without his mother always by his side.

Years passed and the relationship between him and his nurturing mother grew stronger. He learned little due to their bond, but with her by his side he would always be safe. As he aged he still managed to find trouble at every turn, each day a new learning experience that his overbearing mother had robbed from him due to her close watch. Upon one such journey out into the wild his life was nearly cut short by his own growing curiosity.

While rummaging about through the forest floor a thin cold creature brushed past his leg only to quickly draw his attention in its direction. In the creatures hasty travel all that the cub could make out a long black tail disappearing into a hollow log a few feet behind him. Mimicking the low profile his mother often took when she stalked her prey he slinked slowly over towards the hollow log, sniffing the air carefully for any scent. When he saw no movement from within the darkened tunnel he began to paw impatiently upon the outside of the rotted piece of wood. A loud hiss quickly emitted from within warding off any foolish predators. But, being the foolish youth that this cub had grown to be it only intrigued him more as he darted his head quickly inside to find where such an amusing noise came from. As his eyes began to adjust to their surroundings he once again heard the hissing noise, only this time much louder, and far too close for even his own curiosity.

It had been too late; before the young cub could bring himself out of the log he heard a loud snap followed by an overwhelming pain across his entire face. The cub immediately shook his head out of the hollow fallen tree howling in pain as he tumbled upon the jungle floor, his screams filling the air. In a flash his mother pounced out of the darkness standing firm between her wounded cub and whatever creature had just laid injury to her bloodline.
But the damage had been already done. The cub’s vision had faded to red, blood seeping down into his eye as his face began to show the first signs of swelling. In his continuing ignorance he had lead himself to be bitten by a defensive snake. Snarling into the rotted log his mother cautiously kept her distance as she warded off the venomous snake before turning her aid to her only cub. Blood continued to mat down the poor youth’s pelt, his whines only bringing more agony to his mother who watched helplessly by his side. The vision in his left eye had been badly damaged, fang marks scrambling his delicate cells as the crimson red color of his blood began to take over his once beautiful emerald eye. The skin underneath his wet fur showed signs of increased swelling as the poison began to take effect giving the mother little time to react.

She had few choices to make as she saw her time running out. Scratching open a large gash near her cub’s fang wounds she began to draw as much of the poison into her mouth as she could. Her tongue eagerly lapped at her baby’s blood, the foul venom numbing her jaw line, as she showed no signs of stopping in her quest to save her lineage. The feline writhed in pain, crying out to his mother in confusion. When he tried to escape she held her paw firmly against his neck to steady him as she drove her fangs deeper into his flesh, frantically trying to drain as much poison before his system shut down.

When all was said and done, the cub lay in a pool of his own blood, his left eye ruined for eternity, open wounds slowly clotting from his mother’s lifesaving “kiss.” Atop the feline lay his mother, panting deeply, her body growing numb from all the poison she had ingested in her attempt to give the cub once more chance at a future. Together they passed out in the middle of the night, the moonlight shining down upon them as if to bless the fallen cub.
The sun once again rose over the dense jungle, with the songs of birds echoing through out the trees. Golden rays of light streamed down upon two lifeless panthers. For hours into the early morn there was no movement from the two cats.

Finally a stirring came about, the young cub wiggled his way out from beneath his mother’s body, his face still wet from last night’s terror. Nudging his mother to wake up as he often would, he trotted up to her and playfully tugged at her ears. His strength was surely not what it should have been up to but that didn’t keep him from pouncing upon his mother in a playful manner until she arose to join him for another jungle adventure.

Only this time was not destined to be like the others. As the young cub narrowed his only good eye against the bright rays of sunshine that he had never quiet grown comfortable with it became apparent to him that this time his mother would not be getting back up. As her lifeless body lay in front of the young cub, he continued to nudge and tug at her, his ongoing frustration became more and more noticeable as the day moved on. Mewing in an overwhelming sadness that seemed to have embraced him as the minutes soon turned into hours of his attempts that only went un-rewarded, he had finally come to accept his fate.

His mother was dead. If it had not been for his foolish actions she would surely have still been alive. He was alone, he was fearful, and he was utterly useless without his mother’s guide to keep him alive. It was his entire fault, and for the rest of his, what appeared to be short life he had no one to turn to. Just then a rustling came from a nearby bush. Cowardly the cub dashed away in retreat, seeking shelter where his fallen mother was not out of view. As he stared through the leaves, his one eye greatly hindering his abilities, a large weasel came into view from beneath the bushes. Upon spotting the untouched and still life panther it quickly jumped over to dig it’s tiny sharp teeth into the belly of the fallen beast.

What happened next was a first for the young cub. The sight of his own mother being consumed by such an insignificant creature, one whom he had often feasted on, but never caught alone enraged him. It may have been his fault that his only protection in the dark forest had died, but he felt the overwhelming sense to protect her lifeless body as she had always protected him in his times of need.

Leaping from out of the shadows the panther made quick bounds towards the weasel and leapt, it’s tiny claws outreached as it honed in on it’s mark. Sailing far wide of the weasel, the cub came crashing into a nearby tree, his one eye greatly throwing off his accuracy. Caught off guard by the close brush with death the weasel darted back towards the bushes. With his adrenaline now coursing through his veins the cub once again leap out after the weasel, this time just barely making his mark. His sharp claw impaled deep against the weasels belly, dragging its body into the dirt as he pinned it’s frame against the ground. In a flash the cub snatched the weasel into his mouth, bringing his jaws down hard as he snapped the marsupial’s spine in two beneath his juvenile rage. It’s broken ribs grinded against the interior of the cub’s mouth drawing blood from his gums. Eagerly the cat feasted upon his first caught prey, it’s much needed energy helping prepare him for the future tasks at hand.

As the adrenaline slowly washed out of his body the feline soon realized he had little place else to go but by his mothers side. Overcome with an astounding amount of guilt the young cub kept guard over his mother’s body, day and night fighting off any predators that dare come within his reach. He would sleep during the silence and awake at the sound of a nearby branch snapping under pressure. Over time he became accustomed to his new eyesight. His desire to keep the honor of his mother’s body untouched only forced him to hasten his hunting skills as he learned to fend for himself. As time passed in the ongoing weeks the cub excelled greatly, his attacks becoming more precise with each attempt. His feasts growing more feral as again and again he felt this ongoing rage inside him for the disrespect brought to his mother’s corpse.

In the daytime, he kept careful watch, his body keeping hidden beneath the shadows. At night he stalked the radius around her rotting flesh. At night he became bolder, he was unseen, yet he could see all through the darkness. Turning the noises and the darkness of the night against his would be prey; he began to call upon such ally’s as his own protection.
To him the night empowered him; its shadows gave him protection. Its blanket of darkness gave him the ability to manipulate his prey, breaking down their senses and giving him the extra jump.

Soon it was time to leave his dead mother’s side. Maggots had slowly consumed her body, its rotting flesh only drew the foulest of prey for the maturing cub and by then he was quickly learning to hunt on his own. As day turned into night once more, the soon to be adolescent panther gazed down upon the flesh-covered bones of his once strong mother. The fly’s buzzing across his face as he vowed to become everything his mother was, he vowed to become everything his mother never could be. The night had become his new companion. It’s shadows his new weapon. In the years that would come the panther learned to further hone these tools. With each passing day he would explore more of the vast jungle, his home ever changing as his journey continued.

As he traveled further through the jungle it was not long before new noises and bright flickering lights in the distance caught his eye. Upon further inspection the feline found life outside the forest. Creatures he had only seen in passing, but never attempted to interact with. There were hulking beasts walking upon two legs baring massive axes over their shoulders. He spied upon cloaked individuals whom shot fire from their hands, and even fur-covered animals like he, yet they walked amongst them with the slightest of ease. A new opportunity of life offered itself up to the panther and he was bound by a promise to take it.
During the day the panther would rest in slumber, high above the treetops of the jungle. At night he would creep down below into the nearby towns, spying on the various races and watching their actions. He listened to their stories and studied their diverse lifestyles.
Being a creature born into survival he tried his best to learn their ways, walking upright at times and practicing their abilities with handheld weaponry. He had always relied upon his claws but saw much power in the man-made tools of war. During certain nights he would steal potions off slumbering magic men and tested their mysterious abilities upon himself. With mixed results he often found himself changing colors, sprouting wings, webbed feet and all sorts of dizzying magic. It was then that he acquired a potion of languages of which he slowly savored, using it to build his own vocabulary so that he may one day walk amongst the citizens of this town as the other cat line he so envied.

It was one day when he walked amongst the town during the daytime that a life changing turn of events took place. Prowling on all 4 legs through out the town, he panted heavily underneath it’s growing heat. As the sun beat down upon him he found shelter upon a bed of dry straw. Various other animals were all around him so he quickly felt at home. But before comfort could ever find the panther a loud slurred voice barked in his direction. Seconds later a heavy piece of hide was thrown over his back and tied around his ribs. As he rose to his feet on all four legs, he was quickly suppressed by the rear of a large fat hairy man sitting down on him. Struggling he quickly found a sharp pair of spurs jabbed into his side. “There you go mate” a strong darkly tanned man spoke. “He’s all yours, and quite a find I might say.. Should make a good mount”

At the time it was unknown to the panther what was taking place but he quickly learned any struggle was useless as he was surely outnumbered and repeatedly jabbed with spurs at any sign of refusal to his new “owner's” command. And so, the panther soon found himself being tugged this way and that through out the town, often times kicked and beaten by this fat sweaty man whom appeared too lazy to walk on his own two feet. Reminded once more of his promise to his dead mother he knew there had to be a way to escape his new found life of servitude, but not here, not in public. Surely he would be found out and cut down like so many others he had heard stories of through out the nights.

It was then that he overheard the fat man calling others to his side. They, however walked on their own too feet and seemed to do nothing more then reach out to touch and poke at the frustrated panther. One noticed his eye, making note of how the fat man should get his money back. “gah.. The moment this mangy cat gives me any trouble I’ll make sure the wife gets a new coat,” the man spat forth. The panther’s eye widened, he was sure of his mission now.. but how… and when. All answers seemed to soon fall into his lap.

Kicking the cat heavily in the sides the fat one directed him further south down the streets of the city, with the sun now setting behind them they rode closer to the sea, it’s waves crashing up against the nearby ships. The smell of death wafted against the panther’s nose, his senses heightening as he felt the blanket of darkness soon wash over the town. With lit torches the mounted man and his two obnoxious friends strode up to a pair of rusted iron gates. In haste they pushed them open to be greeted with the eerie howl of a forceful wind blowing out, keeping them at bay. Through the shadows large stone slabs appeared to jut up from the ground beneath, various words carved into each one. The panther knew not where he was, but he knew he held sounder footing as he felt the man’s legs tremble atop him. Dismounting from the panther the fat man grabbed it by the scruff of it’s neck. Dragging it close behind him, all three men marched further into the mysterious land.

Approaching quite an elaborate stone slab, one of the men lowered a metal leaf shaped weapon and began to dig into the ground. “We’ll start with this one mates! From the looks of it it’s quite fresh and smells of gold!” The panther understood what the men were saying, but still could not put it all together. It was not long after all three men began to dig together that a solid thud sounded out of the hole they had dug themselves into. A cheer came about and soon a large wooden box was thrown up towards the panther, nearly striking him on the side. As the men carefully climbed out of the hole they hurried towards whatever “treasure” it was they had uncovered. Prying the lid off the wooden box with yet another weapon, dust arose all around them, blinding the panther’s eye for a moment.

Regaining his sight shortly after he found the men covering themselves in shiny metals and stuffing their packs with golden coins. But it was not until the panther looked deeper inside the box until he truly understood what had occurred.
There before him, lay the bones of a fallen creature, it’s processions robbed by three disrespectful men. The panther’s mind swirled, visions of his youth haunted him once more and in an instant he found himself atop one of the fat man’s aides. His claws dug deep into the shoulders of the man. His lips curling up to bare his teeth, the three men, now had become his prey.

A sharp pain ran across the panther’s side as the fat one kicked the panther off his friend, yelling in his direction as they grabbed the weapons before advancing towards the feline. Retreating into the shadows the panther flanked around to the right of his owners. Their vision through the darkness was far inferior as they had now lost trace of him leaving them to stare hopelessly into the night. One of the men began to light up a torch, hoping to give away the cat’s advantage. Leaping from behind the panther pounced upon the man, the torch falling from his grasp and igniting the ground below. A scream let out as the two toppled to the ground, the man’s weapon impaled through his chest. Rolling over the man began to choke upon his own blood, his eyes widened as the panther came back down upon him. With a swift movement the cat drove his claws deep into the soft flesh of his neck, tearing his veins apart as he snatched his jugular up in his hand. As the bloodlust took over he ran his tongue across it’s tainted blood, savoring the victory.

“One down”, the panther thought to himself, “two to go”. But he hesitated seconds too long, and was punished with a sharp dagger flung into his shoulder. Back into the darkness the panther limped, relying mainly on his three good legs to keep balance as he regrouped himself once more. The men howled at the sight of their fallen companion, blood streaming down his cloth. But before they could regroup the panther was once again upon them, this time focusing on the fat man’s other companion.

Leaping from the shadows his teeth glimmered in the moonlight as his arms stretched outward towards his next victim. In a last desperate grasp at life the man shielded himself with the very same weapon that he had been digging into the ground with. It was all that kept him alive as the young panther’s rage splint the wooden shaft in half, his claws just grazing the face of the man, slicing open his cheek. As he landed the panther rolled to the floor before turning to face his foes. Feeling the tides turn in his favor he took his last step towards choosing the fates of the two ignorant men.

The panther slowly stood up on two feet, breaking the straps of the saddle around his chest before bending down to pick up the broken shaft of wood that had shattered from the man’s now useless weapon. Eye’s wide the two men realized their sad misfortune in choosing a mount and what dark details lay ahead for them. Drawing a sword they together charged in his direction, revenge brewing deep in their eyes. The thinner man was first to meet his fate. Leaping forward he was quickly met with an instant sharp pain. The panther drove the broken piece of wood straight through the soft flesh underneath the man’s jaw line, it’s rugged edges tore through his skull until it burst out the top, his brain scattering amongst the both of them. Driving his other claw deep into the stomach of his now fallen foe, he spun around to throw the lifeless body in the direction of his soon to be former owner.

The man toppled under the weight of his dead partner only to be met with the added aggression of the panther quickly bearing down upon him. Grasping onto the man’s face the feline drove his claws deep into the flesh of his owner, blood spitting out in all directions. In haste the fat man reached outward jabbing his finger into the panthers left eye socket trying to drive him off. Pain surged through the panther’s body as he growled loudly upon his foe, rage surging through his body, as he pressed onward. Seeing little hope in sight the man bit down upon the closest of the panthers fingers, his thumb now bleeding profusely into his mouth as he drove his finger deeper into the panther’s useless eye socket. The panther reeled in agony as he released his grasp, falling back onto the ground, his thumb tearing from his right hand.

The fat man slowly arose, pushing his former friend off from atop him as he glared in the direction of his disobedient mount. The flicker of the fire roared across the ground illuminating the area between them, blood trickling down the bodies of both opponents. Cautiously they circled one another, a strong hatred brewing inside as they planned their next attacks. As the fat man drew a sharp blade he charged towards the bloody beast, revenge coursing through his body. Meeting his feral rage the panther stormed forward on his hind feet, the two simultaneously lunging towards one another. His blade was quick, but the panther’s actions were seconds quicker, catching the man’s wrist he snapped his forearm in two, the bones breaking open the skin, dropping the dagger to the floor as they again wrestled to the ground. The fat man reached for the dagger imbedded in the panther’s shoulder, driving it deeper as it scratched against the feline’s bone. Fighting through the pain once more the panther rolled aop the back of the fat man. With him now facing towards the ground he reached around again digging his claws into the lips of his next victim. Pulling back hard, he successfully fish hooked his owner, the flesh of his cheek tearing back towards his ear as his gum line was exposed to the world. Blood spurt out the shoulder of the panther as he ripped out the deeply planted dagger only to thrust it forcefully through the back of the man’s neck dislocating his spine and further bringing the life of the man to a close.

Blood choked gasps of air emitted from the man as he tried to muster any strength left in him, but it was far too late. Slowly rising to his feet, the panther grasped the ankle of the fat man, dragging him into the roaring fire amongst the ground. His blood-curdled screams danced within the felines ears as his flesh burned from his body, the agony only pleasuring the panther further. But the panther had to be sure, tearing one of the stone slabs from out the ground the cat dropped it atop the head of his “master” ending any chance of him rising once more. And suddenly, there was silence, the crackle of the fire as it burned any remains of the fat man warmed the cat as he stared endlessly, relishing in his victory.

But victory is often short lived, and the panther realized he must seek shelter before others had found out his deed. Just then he detected the scent of another close by. Had it always been there? He did not know, but as he surveyed his surroundings a shadowy figure darted across his view, rushing out of the gated grounds. Knowing any witnesses would bring the end of him, he hurried to pick up the chase.

The scent was strong upon his nose as he tracked the figure through out the town, back deep into woodland areas that he had become accustomed from. Just as he had thought he might of lost his witness again the shadowy figure gave itself away, only to disappear into the distance once more. Could this man want to be followed the panther thought to himself. There was no time to waste and the cat tried it’s best to keep close on the figure’s trail, this time leading him into a vast dank swamp land. It was there that all signs were once more lost. The buzzing of mosquitoes filled the air, as the foul smells of the swamp covered up any chance of finding the panther’s mark.

The panther was far from alone, before long, a variety of scaled creatures surrounded him, hissing in his direction as they protected what appeared to be their homeland. They attacked together, their tails whipping towards the feline in unison to bring short his visit into this unknown realm. Already beaten and battered the panther was left to rely on instinct as he again fought for his life. With what appeared to be only a matter of seconds the scaly beasts all lay lifeless around the blood-covered panther. A soft clapping came forth from the shadows, but from what creature was this? Could this be the shadowy figure he had been tracking? Before his eye could make out what lay before him a tiny dart stung him upon his neck. Reaching up to withdraw the feathered object the panther felt his surroundings growing darker. As vertigo set in he collapsed to the ground passing out. His last memory being that of footsteps slowly approaching.

He awoke suddenly, a cold wind blowing heavily across his body. He had no knowledge of how long he had been out, or where he had been taken. The ground was littered with white powder, while a small dark building stood in front of him. His wounds seemed to have all been healed, the only pains residing within his mind. All, but one at least. His thumb had still been missing, and the signs of fresh blood lead him to believe he had just arrived at this unknown destination. Staring deep into the darkness that lay before him he heard a voice call out to him, a dark hand reached from out of the shadows beaconing him forward.

Lost, with no clue where to turn the panther had but little choice but to lay his fate into what had appeared to be the only source that might have saved his very life. Cautiously the feline stepped towards the shadows, the man outside nodding towards him as he took a step aside to let him pass. Once inside his eye began to adjust to the dark surroundings. In the corner he spotted a man heating the side of a dagger over a candle who smiled a wicked grin upon making eye contact. Speaking in a booming voice the man commended him for his battles the previous day before. He tossed a pair of gloves to the cats feet that were covered in what appeared to be scales of the creatures he had defeated in the swamp lands the day before. Upon noticing the panther’s reluctance to further interact the man spoke once again, taking a few steps in his direction.

“Do you have a name little kitten?” the shadowy figure asked. The panther shook his head, not fully sure of himself, or the question. With a devilish grin the man took the injured hand of the panther’s in his, “My name is Blank, and we just can’t have you walking amongst these walls with nothing to call you” Still a bit confused the panther stared up towards the darkened man, still unsure of what he had planned. “You bare quite a distinctive wound young one, and it should only be fitting that your name reflects such” Before the panther had time to question where he was going with his remarks Blank tightened his grip upon the panther’s wrist and held the heated blade against the open wound where his thumb once was. The young panther struggled to get his hand free effortlessly as the heat from the blade cauterized his damaged hand.

Smiling back at him with gleaming ivory teeth, the figure spoke once more. “Allow me to be the first to welcome to your new home…. Digit”