[From 2010]
Trigger warning: death



Once upon a time, there was a family of five cheetahs; a mother, father, and their three cubs.

They lived together in the vast, seemingly-endless savanna. They were sheltered and limited their company to their family members only, never inviting others over, never going out to make friends, and ALWAYS guarding their territory religiously. Their way of living was very old fashioned and they were a simple family, though they had their share of issues. Their beliefs involved following strict rules to the letter, and accepting harsh punishments if one strayed. All other creatures were not to be trusted as they would lead you astray. There were heinous creatures the family spoke of--creatures known was demons. They were sometimes shapeless or made of shadow or fire, and they came from hell, which is where the father of the cubs, Kyvan, assured them they would go if they strayed, especially Sellion, the middle child and only son. Sellion was not like his sisters or his parents. His behavior was odd. He giggled when he shouldn't, and frequently lashed out in violent displays, even as a cub. He did not feel anything towards his family or anything else. He didn't know about any other animals besides prey, either, sheltered as he was. He grew up with a confused view of the world, not fully understanding his species or anyone else's.

One day at sunset, Sellion decided to try and go hunting by himself since his father had been unsuccessful that evening. Sellion often pushed boundaries and followed his whims even though it frequently got him punished. Sellion did not always seem to dislike being punished as much as his two sisters did. Sometimes he laughed. He was never sorry, and it was never enough to deter him from being "bad". So, hungry and determined, Sellion set out alone without telling anyone where he was going. He broke several family rules by doing so. When the young juvenile returned, unsuccessful as well, he heard screams and the sounds of violence. Excited, he ran closer to his home and hid in a patch of dead bushes. From there, he saw a large pack of darkly-colored demons viciously attacking his family. In reality, they were a group of racist rogue lions who had set out on a "mission" to destroy all species but lions. But in Sellion's eyes, they were demons. His eyes glowed and danced and his heart pounded, smiling as he watched them. He had always been fascinated with demons and had always wanted to see them, even perhaps become like them.

After a loud, angry verbal match, violence broke out. The lions overpowered Sellion's father and managed to get at what he was protecting--his mate, and Sellion's mother, Tilde. She was of demure and passive temperament and didn't believe in violence (although physical punishment was not violence in her eyes). She offered no resistance. Sellion watched as the demons brutally attacked and killed his mother. A piercing scream filled the air and Shana'su, Sellion's older sister, came running out of the hiding spot her father had stowed her in and ran to her dead mother, shielding the body and baring her teeth at the lions. The lions laughed at her courage and debated taking her with them as a slave. They voted quickly amongst themselves. Majority ruled, and Shana'su, too, was killed.

Filled with rage and loss, Kyvan snapped and went wild. He managed to kill a few of the rogues. Eventually, however, he was forced to the ground and killed.

After relishing in their work, the lions left, no doubt in search of more carnage. In Sellion's eyes, they were embarking on a journey back to hell.

Sellion crept out of his hiding spot and walked towards his dead family members and the few fallen lions. To his relief, Chana, the youngest of the three siblings, was not among them. Chana was the only living creature Sellion had ever felt anything like attachment to. He called out to her and she revealed herself. They sat amongst their dead family members in silence. They discussed the lions who came, both wondering if they had been demons like their father had warned them so many times of. Sellion was convinced they were, excited at the idea of demons, but Chana was skeptical. She was the voice of reason and logic of the three (now two), but she, too, had darker tendencies like her brother. Eventually the two wandered off, slow and unsure of the future.

Time passed and the two had reached adolescence together. They had found ways to eat and hunt and managed to survive with no parental guidance for quite some time, growing ever closer. They still avoided contact with other creatures. The isolation brought them closer, but also continued to eat away at their minds a bit. One evening, around the same time of day their family was killed, the two cheetahs set off to hunt. They ended up splitting ways to make their search for food quicker. When Sellion was unsuccessful in his hunt, he returned to the spot they said they would meet once the sun had gone down. Chana was not there. Confused, Sellion went to look for her. He smelled smoke and followed it, wandering far away. The scent led him to fire and he quickly became surrounded by it. No matter where he went, however, the flames didn't touch him. Sellion was amazed and giddy as he pranced around the fire. Then he saw his sister.

Chana was lying on her side, consumed in flames. She was dead. Sellion collapsed beside her body and went into shock.

Hours passed and the fire died.

Finally rousing out of his stupor, Sellion was fully convinced that the flames of hell had consumed Chana and taken her to the underworld where she could become a true demon. Despite her ashen bones in front of him, Sellion believed in his self-created illusion and wandered away, vowing to one day become a demon himself so he could meet his sister again. He didn't know what he would have to do in order to become a demon, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

A shuddering giggle erupted from the cheetah's mouth, low at first, then loud and long.

Nothing mattered!