Chapter 3

-UNEDITED-

Ember glared at the castle ahead of her, she couldn't stand the government. If it was up to her, she would gladly have a Neko or Fisguoion in the castle, running things then a rasis human any day. People say this is why humans hates us, but they pushed us to these extremes. They claim they didn't do anything, but they did. It was only 147 years or so ago that they made it illgeal to kill the other species for their trademarks, for Neko's it was their ears and tails, esstenially killing them. It only got worse until the species united to fight against the government.

Her glare only intesitied the closer they got the palace and her puppy noticed her hatred towards the building and he began to growl at it too. A small smile came onto her face as her puppy tried to support her in her decison. She cleared her throat, preparing herself for the thing she was about to. She hissed at the palace and Rosco yipped at her and she grinned. She didn't like hissing, it always messed up her fur but she was gonna keep it like that to see bigger then she was actually.

She looked behind her and saw a figure in the mountains and she swallowed. Her species did have its counterparts that were much more dangerous and ruthless. Nefulion's or mountain neko's. They were bigger and faster then their more tamed counterparts. They were left alone as the last time the government tried to civilize them, they just ended getting slaughtered. Ember shuddered, remembering the stories her father told her a year ago. It had happened a year before she was born and it was a massacre. With more losses on the humans part then the Nefulions.

"Did you see that Rosco?" She asked and he yipped. It was weird, Rosco could understand her but she couldn't understand him. She just went along with what he suppsodly said. She tightened her pony tail, preparing for the berion to stop any moment as the palace had become a gaint to her.

She held Rosco as the berion came to a halt and she focused in on what the gaurds were talking about.

"Open the gates!" A female voice shouted.

"Who do you have in the berion Fabiola?" A male voice shouted back at her.

"A neko under the name of Ember, just as the queen requested." The female, apparently named Fabiola, shouted.

Ember swallowed, how did the queen know about her? Maybe it was just a concidence. There had to be plenty of Neko's named Ember, maybe they got the wrong one. Her hair color was common among all species. Espically hers.

"Alright, opening the gates." The male shouted and she heard the slight squeak of the steel gates opening and she peeked out the window and spotted a large human male standing in front of the gate. She noted this in case she had to run for her life, of course there are very few humans that could even come to close to capturing a sprinting neko and she doubted his heavy armor helped his case.

She felt the berion begin to move forward and she began to shake, the severity of the situation had just hit her. There was very few fates for her people, it was slavery, jailing or execution. Neko's were never given a proper trial, even if the government claimed it was completely fair. She watched the castle only became closer and as she looked out the window as the exquisiet royal gardens passed her.

She couldn't believe that this is what her fathers taxes were going towards, a garden. What about food for the poor or housing for the discrimniated species. Oh wait, that last one would never happen unless someone went insane in the palace, namely the queen.

She felt the berion halt once more and people get off. She swallowed as a shadow loomed over her door and opened it. Glaring at her and her puppy. "Where did this little mangy thing come from."

"Its a he, and he's my puppy." Ember snapped and held Rosco closely to her chest.

"Whatever you screendoor hanger." He snapped and grabbed her arm and roughly pulled her out of the berion. "Don't cause trouble or else whatever punishment you might think up, will never be as worse as the things I want to do to you." He smugly said. Ember shuddered, it was a threat in several different ways and she didn't want any way he offered.

She kept her mouth shut as the female named Fabiola appeared from behind the berion. "Now, now Decion, don't care the little hairball, the queen needs her." Fabiola smirked and Ember swallowed as Decion began to pull her towards the palace doors. Ember didn't bother to fight as she knew it would be useless, mostly because Decion could snap her arm like a twig if he wanted to.

As she was pulled into the palace, she noted that it was a lot more extravgent then what people could think. She hated this, how all of the hard earned taxes was put into making this place look like this. Ember behind her to see Fabiola just in time to see the woman trip and fall onto her face and she held back a snigger. She smirked as she watched the woman stand up.

She quickly regretted letting a smirk onto her face as it was quickly slapped off by Fabiola. "You little teef! You tripped me, didn't you!" She shouted.

"N-No ma'am." Ember stuttered.

"Liar! You neko's and your tails. I sometimes wonder why the government even bothered to protect you." Fabiola spat.

"Fabiola, calm down, the queen would have your head if she found out you hurt one of the potentials." Decion attempted to reason.

Fabiola huffed at him, spitting at Embers feet before walking ahead. Ember shook on her way to see the queen. She hadn't been physcially assulated for a year and it never got better.

As they approached the throne room Ember noted the different people around her, looking at her and whispering. Her ears catching onto some of the words they spoke but they were in bits and pieces.

She looked down at the quartz tiled floor, the sounds of her flats filled her ears as to distract herself from the possiblely rude words being thrown at her. She heard the huge doors being opened and inside the throne room she saw fellow female Nekos in front of the throne, being forced to kneel before the queen.

Ember peeked a look at the queen and forced herself to keep her balance as she took in the looks of the queen. The queen had long black hair and a skinny frame with sunken cheeks, wearing an overly expensive looking blue dress that looked way to long for the small queen. As she was forced upon her knees in front of the queen she glanced over at the neko next to her.

Ember noted that the Neko had long blonde hair and a fluffier tail then the average Neko and of course, she was taller then herself. She had to remind herself that she was 5'6, not the average 5'8 of a neko female. The Neko was biting down on her lips, barely holding back from blood.

"Do you all know why you're here?" An authoritarian voice rang out but everyone kept quiet. "You're hear because you all have fire based names and are neko's. Do you know why I sent some of my best gaurds and court members to fetch such useless people?" She asked once more but it was becoming more and more condescending.

"A prophecy." Those two words rang out against the room and everyone stiffened. Ember began to shake. Oh god, the last prophecy a Neko got wrapped up into never ended well for the Neko. They were used as a stepping stool for something that only benefited one species. It was almost always human. Those prophecies that didn't benefit the humans, were destoryed. Both by paper and by life.

"You all have two things in common but only one of you is truly part of this prophecy." The queen spoke. "You all have common name meanings and you are all part of this sub-species." She hummed. "But the defining feature will be your luck or rather, karma."

Ember froze, she felt her blood run cold. Oh god, this world wouldn't be this cruel. This couldn't possibly the fate she was forced to face. Being simply a stepping stool for those who couldn't care about her life, as long as it got what they wanted.

"And from what I've been informed on, there is only three of you that are possibly this person. When I call out your name, rise. Pele, Hestia, and Ember. The rest may go back to where your home is located." The queen annouced and as the other girls rejoiced, Ember felt tears welling up in her eyes.