With all the recent talk about Warrior Cats again, here’s my own “Master Cats” story concept and notes if anyone’s interested. Not promising anything since story writing is really on the back burner at this time, but this one would probably be an attempt at a shorter story as well since I can’t imagine writing that long of one on this subject.
Sphinx Clan (Actually 4 major species that aren’t even all united)
Gynosphinx (Female human head), Androsphinx (Male human head), Criosphinx (Rams head), Heiracosphinx (Hawk head)
Gyno and Andro believe in sex equality and basically make up most of the clan. Andros are still typically the defenders & protectors while the gynos do more of day to day functions of the clans which also includes hunting, child rearing, etc.
For long term plans of their society, however all members have a say.
Gyno and Andro Sphinxes keep humans at a distance. As long as they show proper respect and aren’t underpaw, Gynos and Andros will tolerate humans and accept ongoing tributes for non-aggression. (Cattle to eat) While they are aware that some humans have a tendency to see them as “godlike” they’re careful to not encourage this too much since becoming directly involved in human affairs leads to more trouble than it is worth. (Even if it seems beneficial at the time) Gyno and Andro sphinxes see the Lammasu as a cautionary reminder in that regard.
If humans however get out of line by trespassing or boldly attacking, they will kill them. If the offense is minor and the sphinx is in a generous mood, they’ll sometimes give humans a sporting chance through riddles. (Which is like a past time with them)
Crios are all male and are simple brutes that prefer to keep Gynos “bare paw and pregnant” (Yes, they’re all bare pawed, but you know what I mean)
There are only a few of them are within the larger clan due to their less “enlightened” views, however some Gynos go in for that sort of thing. Most Crios are outcasts though.
Heiras are all male, kidnap and keep Gynos as sex slaves. They also hate other sphinxes. They’re all outcasts.
Crios and Heiras are both less tolerant of humans. Both will eat them gladly, though some Heiras have used foolish groups of humans into doing their bidding for sinister purposes. (Usually involving capturing more Gynos and killing Andros) However, they usually still eat these misguided humans as their “reward.”
Manticore Clan
The Manicore are aggressive their mindset is similar to that of the Criosphinxes in that it’s patriarchal in nature, but even more so. They are big believers in survival of the fittest, with the strong ruling the weak.
The idea of mating with ANYTHING that doesn’t look like another Manticore (Human face, wings, spiked tail, feline body, etc) is typically abhorrent to them.
As a result, they aren’t exactly fond of sphinxes who have several different “types” in their grouping. They also see the fact that sphinxes interact with humans on any sort of level that doesn’t involve eating them as a weakness.
They have nothing but contempt for the Lammasu and their now ruined society. In fact they see the Lammaasu as a future prediction of what will ultimately happen to the Sphinx clan if they don’t severely alter their own society.
They especially hate the Chimera for being the example of everything that’s wrong with interspecies breeding. They are currently attempting to eliminate all trace of them and will kill them on sight.
Humans are nuisances and they are fit only to be prey at best.
Chimera Clan
They aren’t so much of a clan as they are a mindless mob that exist only to mate, kill and eat and not always in that order.
How the Chimera exactly came about in mainly due to Lammasu sexual freedom and dabbling in magic experimentation during the height of their clan’s reign. The details are dark and revolting, but the damage was severe and the Chimera are just one of the many unfortunate results of Lammasu hubris.
Typically the Chimera still has a feline body along with three heads, one feline, one of a reptile and one of some sort of herbivore (Often a goat). They often also have wings and a scorpion tail. However, due to the chaotic nature of their “race” other forms of this abomination exist.
All of them are hermaphroditic, possessing the ability to give birth or impregnate which comes in handy in keeping their population at stable levels despite the fact that the Manticore are very determined in wiping them out.
Fortunately their natural advantages are off set by lowered intelligence and the usual mental instability problems that come with inbreeding since they have no sense of proper family structures.
As far as humans go…well if the human is lucky, they’ll get killed first.
Lammasu Clan
The Lammasu clan are actually distantly related to sphinxes. However instead of maintaining a distant relationship between humanity, they decided to embrace it fully… to their great regret.
It at first started with their acceptance as being revered as godlike creatures. This resulted in a “benign” slave system where allowed humans to serve them on a regular basis. This of course lead them to be powerful and engage in other activity not necessary to immediate survival such as magical research and acquiring knowledge.
Too much familiarity with the humans however lead to a certain decadence and the next step of their hubris. No longer content on living off the labor of their human worshippers. It was their intention to play “god” and spread their faith to other groups of humans so that eventually all of these puny beings would serve. So they began to advise their human pets and become directly involved in their petty wars.
Unfortunately, humans do not all think alike and what are “gods” to some, are demons to others. The Lammasu’s humans could not hope to win all the holy wars they were fighting and for all their cruelty and fear mongering, the tide eventually turned.
The first collapsing pillar during this time was when some humans killed one of the great Lammasu. It was a terrific blow that could not be recovered from and did much to shake the foundation that the Lammasu were not godly beings.
Before the Lammasu knew it, they had multiple human cities in open rebellion. They attempted to keep order, but their failed Chimera “children” were useless and ultimately uncontrollable. The humans greatly outnumbered them and it was already proven that the Lammasu could be killed. The fear and respect was gone.
In desperation the greatest Lammasu wizards attempted a ritual that would hopefully regain their status, but as with all great plans it failed not only spectacularly, but also nearly made them completely extinct.
What went exactly wrong is unknown, but what is known is nearly every Lammasu overnight was transformed into something else. Gone were their once proud feline form and what was replaced was one of a bull. A herbivore. A type of creature they once feasted on.
Perhaps it was punishment from real gods to bring them so low. The Lammasu died as a force that day. Their war with the humans was over and those that weren’t killed, were enslaved. Though it hardly mattered since they weren’t even Lammasu anymore. Even their minds in time became more docile and compliant to the whims of their human masters as they now mostly serve as glorified guard dogs to important human structures. (These new “Bull Beasts” are known as the Shedu.)
As for the Lammasu that some how managed to avoid this devastating transformation, they mostly remain nomadic. Some wish to just live out their days free of strife, while others wish to make their clan live again and regain the power they had in their golden age.
