Chapter 1: Capper Dapperpaws, king of Panthera
The window frame gleamed golden as sun rays entered through it and reflected on the ceramic floor and crystal chandeliers, all of which had been recently polished, and really made it seem as if the room could glow on its own.
The room was big, and filled with all kinds of fancy, shiny and fragile things, most of these didn't have any actual utility, other than making the place look good. In the middle of it was a large, luxurious bed, and over it rested Capper, surrounded by three other cats.
"It sure is nice being the king," he purred, relaxed.
"Sure is!" replied a female cat.
"I wish I could be a king!" exclaimed a male cat, accompanied by a dreamy sigh.
"Although you'd be a pretty bad one," added the other cat, "as you could never be as good as Capper."
The three of them nodded cheerfully in agreement.
Capper could only purr satisfiedly at this whole situation. It truly was nice being the king...
CRASH!
A loud noise woke Capper up from his dream.
Still a bit dizzy from his sudden awakening, he looked around trying to find what caused the noise. Under the bed, over the shelves, behind the curtains, all around the room. Nothing seemed out of place.
The room looked almost the same as the one in Capper's dream, except for one thing. There was no one else in the room, aside from him. Well, him, and...
He put on his dressing gown and a pair of fuzzy slippers and walked towards the window. It was broken. He turned around quickly and took another look, he could've sworn he saw something move at the corner of his eye. There, in a corner, sat a gray tabby cat. He stared at Capper, his eyes wide open, as if he had just seen a ghost.
Capper stared back at him, looking fairly annoyed. "Lemme guess..."
"It was an accident!" the young cat replied.
"I'm calling the police."
The cat yowled. "W-W-WAIT! I'm just a poor orphan child, you can't do this to me!"
"You're not the first one to break into my house claiming to be some orphaned kitten, ya know. Plus, you might be short but I can still tell you're a full-grown cat."
"Hey! Who ya calling short?!" he hissed.
Capper pointed to a bell that hung next to the window. With only the ringing of it, the room would be filled with guards in just a matter of seconds.
"NO, NO, NO!" he cried. "I can't go to cat jail, they're going to eat me alive!"
Capper leaned over a shelf and yawned. "Cool story."
"PLEASE!" He kneeled down before him. "I'll do anything you want!"
"Anything, you say?"
"Anything!"
He rubbed his chin in silence for some seconds, thinking about it, then pointed at the broken window. "Get out of my house, and never come back."
"...Really?" the cat tilted his head, incredulous. "You're just going to let me go... scot-free?"
Capper nodded. "You're lucky I'm a benevolent king."
"King?"
Beat.
"Just get out of here," Capper said hastily.
The cat smiled and zoomed out of the window. "Thank you, Mr. Dapperpaws! You're the best!"
Capper smirked proudly. I know, he thought to himself.
Capper walked into his "Closet Room". It was a large, pellmell room that he filled with all the latest fashion of Panthera. Despite the fact that the room was chock-full of clothes and shoes and accessories, Capper had no problem finding his way through it.
He examined through the hundreds of wardrobes and picked a burgundy coat and a pair of boots. They sparkled in glamour, just like everything else in the room. When he was done grooming — which usually took him about an hour or two — , he headed outside to run the errands for the day.
Just as he stepped out of the house, thousands of glances turned his way. Everywhere Capper went, he was the one creatures talked about. As he left the neighborhood and walked into the market, everyone waved at him, but he didn't bother waving back. He just smiled with pride, completely ignoring the world that surrounded him.
The sun shone brightly, not a cloud in the sky. There was this sense of happiness in the air that told him today was gonna be a great day. But that's just everyday life to you when you're an aristocat in one of the most luxurious kingdoms known to history.
Certainly, he thought to himself, today can't get any better.
BOOM! CRACKLE! Thunders and rumbles boomed from every direction.
Murmurs and whispers began to run throughout the market. These couldn't be thunders they were hearing, right? The merchants grabbed their merchandise and ran to seek shelter so that it would not be soaked in the rain of an imminent storm. The rest of the cats just watched in bewilderment as Panthera's beautiful, clear skies turned dark as ashes.
Meanwhile, Capper just kept on smiling, unaware of the growing commotion. Nothing could take him out of this eternal state of reverie, not even a thunderstorm. Not even the cries for help of his fellow pantherans. Not even the giant airship landing right in front of him, crashing in the side of the Castle of Panthera and reducing the majestic spires to mere debris.
Actually, on second thought, maybe that could. But we'll get to that part later.
Finally, after that much ungraceful landing, the entrance to the ship opened, and from between the giant clouds of dust that it lifted, appeared a small, dumpy creature. He carried a large box with a bright blue symbol on its surface, similar to a pair of horns. The same symbol was on the hull of the airship.
A crowd formed around him. Everyone in Panthera knew there were other creatures out there that were different to them, but he was like nothing they'd ever seen. With his wide mouth and big nose, he was an unusual sight, to say the least.
The creature put the box down and once it touched the floor, a giant mechanical megaphone emerged from it. The crowd backed up as he prepared to deliver his message.
"Cats of Panthera!" he announced in a not-so-menacing voice. "Get ready to meet your new king...!"
Capper puffed his chest remembering his dream from earlier that day.
"...The Storm King!"
Suddenly, Capper's thoughts shut down. "The Storm what now?!"
Author's Note
Hiya! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter of my fanfic!! Please note that this is one of my first fanfics and also i'm not a native english speaker so any corrections or criticism is appreciated!
If you're interested i'm also writing a fanfic about the pirates' backstory that happens basically at the same time as this one, so you might want to read that one too when it comes out!
Oh and just a little heads-up that it miiight take a while to get the next chapter done so heh don't be too eagerly waiting
"Cats of Panthera! Get ready to meet your new king... the Storm King!" the creature announced with a flourish towards the ship. A giant poster unrolled over it, displaying the picture of a horned monkey-like beast.
The crowd gasped. The creature smiled proudly. "They're always so impressed," he said to himself. "Uh, where y'all going?"
Two female cats came rushing out of the castle, panting and coughing. They looked weak and exhausted, one of them could hardly stay standing. The whole crowd ran towards them to help.
"Oh. Uh, hey, you two!" He pointed at them. "Give us all your treasures and gold and all that shiny pricey stuff... or else!" he demanded. He fixed his posture and puffed his chest to try to look more intimidating.
One of the cats shot him a disgruntled look, but didn't respond. Clearly, his act required some polishing.
"I'll take care of this, Grubber." The Storm King appeared behind him.
"Y-Your Majesty!" exclaimed Grubber, jumpy. "Of course."
"Ladies!" the Storm King called in a seemingly joyful manner.
The crowd turned toward him. Despite his towering size and outlandish features, he didn't seem so menacing. On second thought, he actually seemed quite friendly.
"Cordial greetings." One of the cats walked towards him and greeted him with a bow. "We welcome you to our kingdom. My name is Queen Kefira, and that" – she gestured toward the other, who was being assisted by the crowd of pantherans – "is my wife, Queen Tora."
"Yeah, yeah. Greetings, hello, salutations!" He grabbed her hand with both his claws and shook it frenetically. "Okay. You see, here's the thing; I'm in the middle of a rebrand and I could use some financial support. Paying for royalties, patents, it's not easy! You know how it is."
She gulped. "I don't think I understand. Y-you need a... loan?"
"Hahaha! Oh, you're so innocent... No." He shot a stern look. "I think I'm not being clear enough, am I? This is a heist. We're taking all of your riches. 'Your kingdom' is now mine! You're free to leave whenever you want." He pushed her aside and made his way to the entrance of the castle. "But if you're still here tomorrow morning, I'm taking out the dogs."
Grubber followed him inside, escorted by a dark purple unicorn pony. She glanced over Kefira with a cold look on her eyes that sent a shiver down her spine.
"It's nothin' personal," chuckled Grubber as they passed by her.
Chaos engaged. Once the door to the castle was closed, Storm Guards stormed out of every corner. Capper knew he should've ran away as soon as tables started to fly through the air, but he was frozen solid! Instead of trying to escape the turmoil, he just stood at an unsafe distance, and watched as panic took over the place.
"Careful, Mr. Dapperpaws!"
Suddenly, a gray cat appeared out of nowhere and pounced over Capper to get him out of the way. Just as they hit the ground, a large wooden bench landed at the same spot Capper was standing at.
"What do ya think you're–?! Hey! It's you! Why are you–"
The cat covered Capper's mouth. "Don't raise your voice or you'll draw their attention!" he exclaimed under his breath. "If we go now then maybe we can sneak past them and arrive at your place before they take your–"
"MY FORTUNE!" Capper yelled, alerting the Storm Guards. They all stopped their labor for a second and turned their heads to him.
"What did I tell you?! RUUUUUN!" the cat cried. He and Capper burst out of the market and into the neighborhood. The guards did not attempt to chase them, and as soon as they were gone went back to work.
Capper and the gray cat ran off as fast as they could and didn't stop until they lost sight of the Storm King's guards. They puffed and panted, about to faint from the exhaustive chase that took place in their heads.
They hid in a dark alley near Capper's house. Capper checked around the corner to make sure they hadn't been followed there.
"Ya really think they're going to seize all my stuff?" he asked while poking his head out ever-so-slightly so he wouldn't be noticed.
The cat grabbed Capper by the shoulders and dragged him back into the darkness of the alley. "You heard what the monkey guy said! He's claiming Panthera as his own" – he put his hands to his head distressedly – "that includes all of our valuable possesions!" Pause. "Hm. Good thing I don't have any, I guess" he admitted calmly.
"Th-then–" Capper gulped "–I guess I'll just go and... make guard, heh heh..." he chuckled nervously. He fumbled through the multiple pockets of his coat and took out some keys. The cat followed him silently all the way home.
"It's Chummer, by the way," he said to break the silence when they finally arrived.
"What?" Capper asked, as he unlocked the door.
"You asked what my name was."
"I didn't."
"Oh. Really? Well, you know it now. I'm Chummer." He extended his hand to Capper with a friendly grin.
"Okaaay...?"
"Hey, I thought, since I don't have anywhere to stay and we two are such good friends already, then maybe–"
Capper shut the door in Chummer's face.
Capper let out a relieved sigh. He was finally home after such a wearisome day, and now he could just sit back, relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. He couldn't be happier it was all over.
Except it wasn't!
A melodic MEOW! rung across the room.
He looked up at the cuckoo clock hanging on the wall. It was barely midday yet, there was still a lot to do!
Of course. He put his palm to his forehead. He had left so fast he left everything at the market! He grabbed from the table the same bowl he had had breakfast on earlier that day and walked into the kitchen. With some luck, he could find a decent meal.
He searched among the drawers and shelves full of food for something to eat, but his quest proved unsuccessful. Then he walked by a window and noticed his reflection on it.
Capper purred at his own image in the glass. "Oh, hello, handsome! Nothin' can stop ya, ya magnificent fool."
"Gee, thanks, Mr. Dapperpaws!"
"ACK!" Capper nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Chummer appear out of his window so suddenly.
"W-wha-what are you doin' here?!"
"Ah, you know, just hangin' around..." he said as he opened the window.
"W-well, don't!" Capper cut, closing the window.
Silence.
Chummer opened the window back again. "I wonder how things are back at the castle. How long do you think 'till they give up to anarchy?" he asked. Capper just turned around and didn't respond.
"Maybe they already started a rebellion? Ha, I should go back and see! " He turned to Capper. "Hey, wanna accompany me to the market? We could find you something to eat. With all the fuss going on they're sure not to notice if we sneak by and–"
Capper grabbed a can of tuna from the shelf and opened it with his claws.
"Oh. Then I guess not."
Silence again.
Chummer leaned his head against the window frame, looking piteous. "It sure gets lonely out here..."
"Uh-huh."
"Don't you wish you had some company?"
"Nope."
Awkward silence.
"Besides..." Capper turned to him. "Just look at this place. Delicious food, the comfiest furniture, entire rooms filled only with my clothes. Does it seem like I need more?"
Chummer rose and stuck half his body inside the kitchen. "Wouldn't you want more, though?"
Capper's ears flicked forward. He was suddenly interested on what Chummer had to say. "...Keep talkin'..."
"Well... I mean, your house is lovely and everything, but didn't you see all the stuff that Storm King had? Sparkling armors!"
"Airships..."
"An entire army at his command!"
Capper extended his hand to Chummer to help him enter the house. "Sounds like you might have something in mind..."
"I do have a plan... though you might not like it."
