HOME | DD

Description

The cities a flood
And our love turns to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled into dust
I'll show you a place
High on the desert plain
Where the streets have no name

general

name iberius

iberius oftentimes likes to be called ibe for short.

gender male

rank air empire gladiator

age 2 ½ years [starting age; 2 ½ years]

species cheetah

build/body thin and short for a cheetah. incredibly lean muscled and very fast. 26 inches at shoulder

genetics dominant; bold pelt [AA], long tail [Aa], black/gray nose [Aa], heavy spots [Aa]. recessive; blue eyes [aa], fur tuft on head [aa]. carrier; regular-lengthed tail, pinkish nose, light spots

special skills speed and logics. very analytical and careful.

song where the streets have no name by U2

biography
personality

reckless and optimistic
iberius often takes huge risks while just assuming everything will turn out for the best. sometimes it does, but other times he is not so fortunate. that does not deter him from being so hopeful in the future, however. he is always seeing the silver lining in things and always thinking that his future will only improve.

energetic and aggressive
ibe always has energy. he is always looking for something to do. oftentimes he is a bit too violent with other cats, though, and usually someone ends up getting hurt.

kind and analytical
ibe always is able to observe other cats and knows exactly how to act around them based on their personalities. because of this, he usually does not act the same around two separate cats. he likes being in small groups of close friends and feels awkward in big crowds.

simple and close-minded
ibe has a very "my way or the highway" mentality. he doesn't really understand why cats think differently than him, or why cats do certain things differently than he would do it. he is very threatened by change and gets uncomfortable around differences. he would never tell someone how he feels about their differences, though. he is very simple, level-headed, and can easily think of efficient solutions to problems. he doesn't like to complicate things.

extra facts

armor -- ibe's collar is black leather with metal shields on the back. the jewel is turquoise, and was given to him by his owner in Massilia. the rest of the armor was fashioned for him in air empire, where he gave the blacksmith free reign over what he wore-- as long as it had a cape!

traits/quirks -- ibe has a very casual way of speaking, often cutting off his words and talking very fast.
-- iberius has very bad anxiety attacks and doesn't handle internal stress very well. with external stress, however, he is able to keep a very level head.

history
|| I want to run, I want to hide ||
When a small cub is born into a cruel world, they have no knowledge that the very air around them is toxic. The faces that smile at them are liars. The hands that caress them are corrupted. The teeth that carry them are killers. There is a brief period of innocence and carelessness, where nothing in life tastes too bitter. The period is brief, however, before the realization sets in that struggle is their reality.

Iberius was the last in a litter of three, born to two arena fighters, owned by a human who specialized in cheetahs. His siblings were strong, large, and powerful. Iberius, however, was sick, little, and thin. The owner was disappointed, of course, but not angry, as he had two cheetahs with high potential in his hands. He was also merciful; instead of just killing the cub on sight, he let him grow, play with his siblings, nurse from his mother, and get over his runny eyes and stuffy nose. His parents were not particularly loving; they were bred for cubs, not out of love. His mother was cold and harsh, jagged scars stretching across her body and face. His father was practically nonexistent. While their mother was nursing, their father was out in the arena, fighting and killing viciously. Iberius, of course, had no knowledge of the arena fights. His mother didn’t bother to tell him, and he never saw his father. None of the other cheetahs were interested in educating the small cubs. That is, until their owner purchased another fighting cheetah by the name of Helena. Her cage was positioned right next to the small cubs’, and she was not that great of a fighter. “I’ve just been lucky. My opponents have been less trained that I,” she would tell them, covered in blood and fresh scratches. She told them of the darkness in life, how they were all destined to one day train and fight like her. Ibe’s siblings were fascinated; they began boasting about how they were going to be the best fighters that ever stepped foot in the Roman Empire!
Ibe, however, was less enthused. He wasn’t stupid; he knew he was smaller and weaker than his siblings. He couldn’t even beat them in a scuffle, how would he ever kill another cat in a Coliseum fight? It wouldn’t happen. It wasn’t possible. He’d be killed immediately.
Ibe started to plan his escape from his owner’s stables. Next time a human opened the cage to feed his mother, he’d dash out—Or maybe he could dig a hole at night. Maybe they would one day take their mother out for a fight and he could get out then. The possibilities ran over and over in his head, and it was during this time that Iberius began having his first anxiety attacks. His siblings teased him for it; his mother scoffed and turned her head. Even Helena, the only cat he liked anymore, told him, “Just suck it up, kid.”
Turns out, his panic was for nothing. When they got to be about six months old, a human opened their cage to retrieve them for training. Or, what Iberius thought was training. His siblings were put into separate cages, but he was carried out of the stables and into the sunlight outside. Panic began to come back; Were they going to kill him? Was he just going to go straight into a fight? Would he die today? However, Iberius was just put on a carriage in a small cage with a few other young cats and carried off.

Ibe’s owner apparently thought he could get a good price for his brightly colored pelt, and he was right. A small cat market bought the cub, where he would almost immediately be found and bought by a man who ran a small but life-changing messaging service. He gave him a color embedded with a turquoise stone and a new life.

|| I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside ||

Iberius’s new home consisted of a circular stable-like structure with one door that his owner travelled in and out of. In the middle of the stables was a grass opening with one tree and a small pond. The best part, though—the sun. Previously, Ibe had never known sunlight, other than when his old owner took him outside to be shipped away. It warmed his bright fur and made him feel energized and vibrant. He loved how the rays beat down through the branches of the lone tree in his stable and made little dappled spots in the prickly grass. He had never known what grass looked like or what fresh water sounded like or what the sun felt like or what rain sounded like. He realized how awful his life had been for the first six months, and it made him sad for his siblings and mother and Helena, but grateful for what he had now.

Another favorite aspect of his new home, however, was his nieghbors. A gorgeous king cheetah named Feri. A fun-loving serval named Yeag. An honest and solitary leopardess named Askari. They were all so different from one another, but the harmony with which they lived was incredible to Iberius. He had only heard of a future full of death and fighting. This future…was something completely different. Maybe he could survive this world.

He and Yeag became close friends almost immediately. They were partners in crime, pulling pranks on Askari and ambushing Feri. The two were closer brothers than Ibe and his siblings ever could have been.

Feri was his teacher. She taught him how to deliver their mail and how to follow orders and the quickest routes to take through the city. When Ibe was experienced enough to go on solo runs, he would challenge Feri to races. She always won—she was by far the fastest deliverer the messaging service had. But he challenged her every time all the same. He was slowly finding his specialty. He wasn’t strong and powerful like his siblings or parents, but he was fast. He could run. He could run for ages and never get tired or lost. His could run until his lungs burned and his legs were wobbly, then run some more. Feri was encouraging him the whole time; and by the time he was a full-fledged messenger, he had started to see her as more than a friend. She, clearly, only treated him like a brother, which he didn’t mind. He had the rest of his life to let her warm up to him.

Askari was his stand-in mother. She woke him and Yeag in the morning, told them when food was coming, told them stories. It was from her that Ibe first heard of the rumors of escapes into the wild. He never paid much mind to them, though—maybe escaping was good for the Coliseum fighters and killers, but for him, his life was perfect. He loved his new job and new family and new home. He had no reason to leave.

When Ibe was ten months old and starting to make regular runs across Massilia, their owner brought in a new, young cat. He was a marbled cheetah much like Feri, four months old, and he was very reclusive, even more so than Askari. His name was Flynn, and apparently, he had been through hell to get here, because Ibe barely knew the sound of his voice for a long time and he was clearly depressed. He only came out to eat, but mostly just layed in his stall. Ibe and Yeag tried multiple times to get him to come out and play a prank on Askari or wrestle with them in the grass, but he got snappy and mean and told them to go away. He clearly didn’t like Ibe very much, although Iberius was sure he’d never done anything to the cub.

Iberius had never experienced firsthand the effects of death. He had only seen Helena’s bloody fur and heard her gruff and hopeless voice. This cat, though, knew what it felt like to lose. Clearly, Flynn’s losses far outweighed his hope for the future, because he didn’t even try. He had clocked out of life and was content with never talking, never moving, barely sleeping. Ibe, though, was determined to help show him the joy of his new life, no matter how much Flynn hated him and no matter how much Flynn didn’t want to do anything.

But before Ibe could do anything, Feri got to him. Flynn began coming out of his stable to let her teach him the messenger ways. And he only had ears for her. Sometimes he would listen to the stories Askari had to tell them, but he stuck around Feri most of the time and didn’t associate himself much with Ibe or Yeag. It made Iberius jealous, really—he was supposed to be the one that was hanging out with Feri, and now she was devoting her time towards Flynn. She was Ibe’s teacher. Not Flynn’s. But Ibe put on a happy face for both of them, because he knew if Feri was the reason that Flynn would get better, then he deserved that.

Months went by. Flynn began warming up to Ibe, and sometimes he would race both Flynn and Feri at the same time. They became the sort of competitive brothers that everyone had. Always trying to one-up each other. Always improving each other.

Ibe’s life as a messenger was perfect. That is, until one night when he was a little over two years old when everything fell apart.

|| I want to reach out ||

Feri and Iberius were sent out for two quick runs. Ibe, as usual, challenged Feri to a race. However, when Ibe got back to the stables, something was weird. He had won the race. Feri wasn’t back yet. Yeag congratulated him. But Iberius was panicked. He was fast, but Feri had always been faster. Something had gone wrong. It was then that he had his first anxiety attack in months. Yeag was comforting, though, unlike his previous family.

When she finally made it back, he realized his panic hadn’t been for nothing. She was beaten, weak, and exhausted. Her package had been important, they figured out, and the Romans were called to investigate and locate the package. Their human left to get some medical help for Feri, and his cats stayed behind to comfort her. As night settled in, though, and everyone had fallen asleep, a new and unexpected danger bore down on them.

Fire. Ibe couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but he bolted out of his stable, coughing smoke out of his lungs, meeting the others at the pond. They were all just as confused as he. Except one thing; Feri wasn’t out there.

Askari and Flynn immediately began volunteering to find her, but Ibe and Yeag had another plan. They were going to go find their secret way out of the stables and find someone to deal with the fires, then find their owner. They agreed, then split up, which was probably one of the worst mistakes of his life.

They didn’t find anyone to put out the fire, nor did they ever find their owner. Instead, they found something neither of them had ever been trained for; a fight.

Cats were attacking them from all sides. The only good thing they had going for them was that they were faster than the others. They outran them for a while, but after a while, Yeag was caught, and Iberius, trying to be noble, turned around and tried to free him. He was beaten, scratched, clawed, and now he knew the exhaustion that Feri felt when she had returned from her unsuccessful run. After a while, Ibe noticed that Yeag’s beaten and bloody figure was laying in the dirt, the fire of their home roaring behind him, his eyes open and lively and panicked. Weakly, so weakly, telling him to run.

This is what Ibe was built for. It was his first instinct. He barely even had to think about it before he was taking off, sprinting through the streets, towards the exit gates, out of Massilia, to the only place he could think of. The fantasy places Askari had told them about, where cats ran free from their hateful and deadly pasts—the wild.

|| And touch the flame ||

Iberius ran straight towards the open plains and rising moon. And another thing. A figure, running in front of him, their trail leaving a scent of soot and smoke. Someone in his posse? Feri, possibly? Ibe knew it was unlikely, since this figure was running so quickly, and Feri had been too weak to even stand when he had last seen her. He hoped that the rest of his family was following close behind, though.

The figure suddenly disappeared, and Ibe realized that the cat had collapsed. When the brightly colored cheetah caught up to them, it was Flynn, covered in dirt and dust and ashes. He stood there, staring down at his friend’s weak figure, waiting for someone else to catch up to them, for another messenger to meet them out there, but no one came. He began to run back to the city, but quickly stopped himself. He couldn’t just leave Flynn out there alone. What if those cats chased them back out here? What if there was something even more dangerous in the fields? What if those wild cats weren’t friendly?
He stood with his back to Flynn and his heart towards Massilia for what seemed like hours. The sun began to rise, and he could still see the smoke billowing out from the city where his home had been. He had to go back and find Yeag and Feri and Askari. He had to save them. But had had to save Flynn. But they could die. But he could die.

He needed to save the rest of his family. It wouldn’t be enough with just Flynn. It wouldn’t be the same. But if he went back, there was a good chance that all of them would die. If he took Flynn somewhere safe, though, it might be too late to go back to the city. Then only Flynn would be a survivor. Ibe didn’t know what was in Flynn’s past, but he was sure that the younger cheetah would take his second family’s deaths just as bad as the first. Ibe needed to save everyone. He didn’t want to go through loss. He couldn’t go through that pain he had seen Flynn deal with. Flynn would be fine out here until Ibe came back with the rest of them. He would be fine. Ibe needed to save them. He couldn’t lose his family.

But the next thing he knew, Flynn’s scruff was between his jaws, and he was dragging him through the fields, away from Massilia and away from his family. Flynn had to survive, even if no one else would. After a while of dragging, Ibe noticed the overwhelming scent of other cats. His ears perked up. They were talking, laughing, and he could see them, a ways away from him. They seemed friendly, and in his mind, Ibe saw Flynn’s future laid out before him; he would be found, beaten and exhausted by these armored cats, and they would take him in, heal him, give him a new family. Flynn would survive, but none of the others would if Ibe decided to stay out here. So he dropped his friend, let out a loud yowl, then sprinted away, faster than he had ever run. He swore he was as fast as Feri that day.

|| Where the streets have no name ||

He returned to Massilia, sneaking in through a side door that no one used. The first place he checked was where he had left Yeag. There was a bloodstain in the road’s dirt and tufts of fur, but no cats remained. He snuck back to his old stables. It was blackened and charred and there were humans around, throwing buckets of water on the still-hot remains. His owner was standing in the street, looking furious and talking in outrage to a Roman soldier who was trying to calm him down. Since Ibe could pick up on bits of human conversation, he heard a few phrases that set panic into his stomach. “…took all my cats!...where is my business?...I have nothing…probably all dead…”

Infuriated, Ibe didn’t even consider showing himself to his owner. They had taken them? Those cats who had ambushed them? He knew exactly where they were from…another messaging service. So he went there. But their enclosure was much more closed off, and Ibe couldn’t even figure out what part of the building the cats were kept in.

For the next month, Ibe lived in the abandoned slums of Massilia, where he learned a lot. He learned how to hunt for rats and birds, and where the safest places to get water was. He learned that the vicious messenger opponents had taken over his routes. He never saw any of his family come out, which made him worried. He learned that there was actually a group of security cats called Bounty Hunters that patrolled the city and occasionally went outside to hunt down the cats they called “Empire rats.” He watched them and made sure that they never brought in Flynn, but his friend was safe out there, he hoped. His life became lonely. He hated living this way, with nothing to do, only daring to come out at night, wrapped in a black cloth that he had found in an old shed to keep his bright pelt from standing out. He travelled through the alleys and kept to the shadows. He never took off his turquoise collar, the only thing that reminded him of home. Sometimes a human would see him, call a guard, but by the time anyone even could think about catching him, he was gone, sprinting back to the slums where no one would find him.

On his final night out in the streets, however, he was wandering out, watching the messenger routes, keeping an eye out for Hunters. That night, he ran into a young cougar with packs strapped across his back. The cat was young and looked lost, clearly working for the messaging service that had attacked his family. Ibe got his attention and convinced him to come to the alley where he was hiding. He trapped him down, forced him to tell him everything he knew about Yeag and Feri and Askari. The cat knew nothing, was terrified. He didn’t know what he meant about an attack on the other messaging service; he had been told they were the only ones in this part of Massilia. He was new; he had just started his first solo runs when he got lost on a particularly long one. Ibe was furious. Of course, the one cat he got to finally talk to him didn’t have a clue. He let the cougar go, told him he could tell his comrades about him, because by the morning, he’d be gone. It didn’t matter. He was tired. He missed Flynn, and right now, they were both alone and without a family. He had to go back to the wild and find his friend.

He ran out to where he had left Flynn, his scent long gone by now, and just kept walking. It was middle of the night, he was tired and excited to finally get to see his friend again. He was found by a night patrol of cats covered in armor, saying they were from something called Air Empire. When he asked about Flynn, a female serval by the name of Avita, who was apparently their leader, assured him that Flynn was safe within their camp, where Ibe would also be welcome if he wanted. He accepted, and soon was reunited with his only bit of family left.

Ibe told Flynn of what had happened in Massilia, where their family was, and he swore he’d one day get back and find them. One day, they’d be as free as he was.

statistics
strengths and skills

tactics -- 0
endurance -- 0
speed -- 0
strength -- 0
defense -- 0
attack -- 0

ep tracker

assignments

none

daily life

none

roleplays

none

roleplay tracker

current

-- iberius and aiolos (tie-falcon )

-- iberius and tybalt (whospeakspizza )

completed

-- none

discontinued

-- none

relations

family

-- work in progress --

relationships

family
likes
  friend
   best friend
respect
  idol
crush
  romance
unsure
discomfort
  hates
   wants dead
fear
mate
dead

--work in progress--

roleplay example

taken from a roleplay with tie-falcon
He listened to her story with deep interest. He wondered if he had ever delivered packages down her alley--he often took shortcuts when he was trying to beat Feri in their races. He wondered if her brother was alive. He wondered if his brothers were alive. He felt a bit guilty, suddenly, for never really thinking about how their lives turned out. He'd never even stopped to wonder if they'd survived training, let alone the fights.

"I guess I do have Flynn," Iberius replied, though it didn't really feel like it anymore. Being a seasoned Gladiator, Flynn was always out on patrols, checking the borders, making sure cats could eat in the morning. Iberius was probably a little bitter that Flynn seemed to be enjoyingit. Didn't he miss his life back in Massilia? Didn't he miss Feri or Askari or Yeag? Any of it?

"He's great, though," the cheetah continued. "He's like...my brother, pretty much." Ibe paused, unsure of what to say. "So, uh, do you have any family in the Empires? Or back in Massilia that you know of?"

--

Description

The cities a flood
And our love turns to rust
We're beaten and blown by the wind
Trampled into dust
I'll show you a place
High on the desert plain
Where the streets have no name

general

name iberius

iberius oftentimes likes to be called ibe for short.

gender male

rank air empire gladiator

age 2 ½ years [starting age; 2 ½ years]

species cheetah

build/body thin and short for a cheetah. incredibly lean muscled and very fast. 26 inches at shoulder

genetics dominant; bold pelt [AA], long tail [Aa], black/gray nose [Aa], heavy spots [Aa]. recessive; blue eyes [aa], fur tuft on head [aa]. carrier; regular-lengthed tail, pinkish nose, light spots

special skills speed and logics. very analytical and careful.

song where the streets have no name by U2

biography
personality

reckless and optimistic
iberius often takes huge risks while just assuming everything will turn out for the best. sometimes it does, but other times he is not so fortunate. that does not deter him from being so hopeful in the future, however. he is always seeing the silver lining in things and always thinking that his future will only improve.

energetic and aggressive
ibe always has energy. he is always looking for something to do. oftentimes he is a bit too violent with other cats, though, and usually someone ends up getting hurt.

kind and analytical
ibe always is able to observe other cats and knows exactly how to act around them based on their personalities. because of this, he usually does not act the same around two separate cats. he likes being in small groups of close friends and feels awkward in big crowds.

simple and close-minded
ibe has a very "my way or the highway" mentality. he doesn't really understand why cats think differently than him, or why cats do certain things differently than he would do it. he is very threatened by change and gets uncomfortable around differences. he would never tell someone how he feels about their differences, though. he is very simple, level-headed, and can easily think of efficient solutions to problems. he doesn't like to complicate things.

extra facts

armor -- ibe's collar is black leather with metal shields on the back. the jewel is turquoise, and was given to him by his owner in Massilia. the rest of the armor was fashioned for him in air empire, where he gave the blacksmith free reign over what he wore-- as long as it had a cape!

traits/quirks -- ibe has a very casual way of speaking, often cutting off his words and talking very fast.
-- iberius has very bad anxiety attacks and doesn't handle internal stress very well. with external stress, however, he is able to keep a very level head.

history
|| I want to run, I want to hide ||
When a small cub is born into a cruel world, they have no knowledge that the very air around them is toxic. The faces that smile at them are liars. The hands that caress them are corrupted. The teeth that carry them are killers. There is a brief period of innocence and carelessness, where nothing in life tastes too bitter. The period is brief, however, before the realization sets in that struggle is their reality.

Iberius was the last in a litter of three, born to two arena fighters, owned by a human who specialized in cheetahs. His siblings were strong, large, and powerful. Iberius, however, was sick, little, and thin. The owner was disappointed, of course, but not angry, as he had two cheetahs with high potential in his hands. He was also merciful; instead of just killing the cub on sight, he let him grow, play with his siblings, nurse from his mother, and get over his runny eyes and stuffy nose. His parents were not particularly loving; they were bred for cubs, not out of love. His mother was cold and harsh, jagged scars stretching across her body and face. His father was practically nonexistent. While their mother was nursing, their father was out in the arena, fighting and killing viciously. Iberius, of course, had no knowledge of the arena fights. His mother didn’t bother to tell him, and he never saw his father. None of the other cheetahs were interested in educating the small cubs. That is, until their owner purchased another fighting cheetah by the name of Helena. Her cage was positioned right next to the small cubs’, and she was not that great of a fighter. “I’ve just been lucky. My opponents have been less trained that I,” she would tell them, covered in blood and fresh scratches. She told them of the darkness in life, how they were all destined to one day train and fight like her. Ibe’s siblings were fascinated; they began boasting about how they were going to be the best fighters that ever stepped foot in the Roman Empire!
Ibe, however, was less enthused. He wasn’t stupid; he knew he was smaller and weaker than his siblings. He couldn’t even beat them in a scuffle, how would he ever kill another cat in a Coliseum fight? It wouldn’t happen. It wasn’t possible. He’d be killed immediately.
Ibe started to plan his escape from his owner’s stables. Next time a human opened the cage to feed his mother, he’d dash out—Or maybe he could dig a hole at night. Maybe they would one day take their mother out for a fight and he could get out then. The possibilities ran over and over in his head, and it was during this time that Iberius began having his first anxiety attacks. His siblings teased him for it; his mother scoffed and turned her head. Even Helena, the only cat he liked anymore, told him, “Just suck it up, kid.”
Turns out, his panic was for nothing. When they got to be about six months old, a human opened their cage to retrieve them for training. Or, what Iberius thought was training. His siblings were put into separate cages, but he was carried out of the stables and into the sunlight outside. Panic began to come back; Were they going to kill him? Was he just going to go straight into a fight? Would he die today? However, Iberius was just put on a carriage in a small cage with a few other young cats and carried off.

Ibe’s owner apparently thought he could get a good price for his brightly colored pelt, and he was right. A small cat market bought the cub, where he would almost immediately be found and bought by a man who ran a small but life-changing messaging service. He gave him a color embedded with a turquoise stone and a new life.

|| I want to tear down the walls that hold me inside ||

Iberius’s new home consisted of a circular stable-like structure with one door that his owner travelled in and out of. In the middle of the stables was a grass opening with one tree and a small pond. The best part, though—the sun. Previously, Ibe had never known sunlight, other than when his old owner took him outside to be shipped away. It warmed his bright fur and made him feel energized and vibrant. He loved how the rays beat down through the branches of the lone tree in his stable and made little dappled spots in the prickly grass. He had never known what grass looked like or what fresh water sounded like or what the sun felt like or what rain sounded like. He realized how awful his life had been for the first six months, and it made him sad for his siblings and mother and Helena, but grateful for what he had now.

Another favorite aspect of his new home, however, was his nieghbors. A gorgeous king cheetah named Feri. A fun-loving serval named Yeag. An honest and solitary leopardess named Askari. They were all so different from one another, but the harmony with which they lived was incredible to Iberius. He had only heard of a future full of death and fighting. This future…was something completely different. Maybe he could survive this world.

He and Yeag became close friends almost immediately. They were partners in crime, pulling pranks on Askari and ambushing Feri. The two were closer brothers than Ibe and his siblings ever could have been.

Feri was his teacher. She taught him how to deliver their mail and how to follow orders and the quickest routes to take through the city. When Ibe was experienced enough to go on solo runs, he would challenge Feri to races. She always won—she was by far the fastest deliverer the messaging service had. But he challenged her every time all the same. He was slowly finding his specialty. He wasn’t strong and powerful like his siblings or parents, but he was fast. He could run. He could run for ages and never get tired or lost. His could run until his lungs burned and his legs were wobbly, then run some more. Feri was encouraging him the whole time; and by the time he was a full-fledged messenger, he had started to see her as more than a friend. She, clearly, only treated him like a brother, which he didn’t mind. He had the rest of his life to let her warm up to him.

Askari was his stand-in mother. She woke him and Yeag in the morning, told them when food was coming, told them stories. It was from her that Ibe first heard of the rumors of escapes into the wild. He never paid much mind to them, though—maybe escaping was good for the Coliseum fighters and killers, but for him, his life was perfect. He loved his new job and new family and new home. He had no reason to leave.

When Ibe was ten months old and starting to make regular runs across Massilia, their owner brought in a new, young cat. He was a marbled cheetah much like Feri, four months old, and he was very reclusive, even more so than Askari. His name was Flynn, and apparently, he had been through hell to get here, because Ibe barely knew the sound of his voice for a long time and he was clearly depressed. He only came out to eat, but mostly just layed in his stall. Ibe and Yeag tried multiple times to get him to come out and play a prank on Askari or wrestle with them in the grass, but he got snappy and mean and told them to go away. He clearly didn’t like Ibe very much, although Iberius was sure he’d never done anything to the cub.

Iberius had never experienced firsthand the effects of death. He had only seen Helena’s bloody fur and heard her gruff and hopeless voice. This cat, though, knew what it felt like to lose. Clearly, Flynn’s losses far outweighed his hope for the future, because he didn’t even try. He had clocked out of life and was content with never talking, never moving, barely sleeping. Ibe, though, was determined to help show him the joy of his new life, no matter how much Flynn hated him and no matter how much Flynn didn’t want to do anything.

But before Ibe could do anything, Feri got to him. Flynn began coming out of his stable to let her teach him the messenger ways. And he only had ears for her. Sometimes he would listen to the stories Askari had to tell them, but he stuck around Feri most of the time and didn’t associate himself much with Ibe or Yeag. It made Iberius jealous, really—he was supposed to be the one that was hanging out with Feri, and now she was devoting her time towards Flynn. She was Ibe’s teacher. Not Flynn’s. But Ibe put on a happy face for both of them, because he knew if Feri was the reason that Flynn would get better, then he deserved that.

Months went by. Flynn began warming up to Ibe, and sometimes he would race both Flynn and Feri at the same time. They became the sort of competitive brothers that everyone had. Always trying to one-up each other. Always improving each other.

Ibe’s life as a messenger was perfect. That is, until one night when he was a little over two years old when everything fell apart.

|| I want to reach out ||

Feri and Iberius were sent out for two quick runs. Ibe, as usual, challenged Feri to a race. However, when Ibe got back to the stables, something was weird. He had won the race. Feri wasn’t back yet. Yeag congratulated him. But Iberius was panicked. He was fast, but Feri had always been faster. Something had gone wrong. It was then that he had his first anxiety attack in months. Yeag was comforting, though, unlike his previous family.

When she finally made it back, he realized his panic hadn’t been for nothing. She was beaten, weak, and exhausted. Her package had been important, they figured out, and the Romans were called to investigate and locate the package. Their human left to get some medical help for Feri, and his cats stayed behind to comfort her. As night settled in, though, and everyone had fallen asleep, a new and unexpected danger bore down on them.

Fire. Ibe couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but he bolted out of his stable, coughing smoke out of his lungs, meeting the others at the pond. They were all just as confused as he. Except one thing; Feri wasn’t out there.

Askari and Flynn immediately began volunteering to find her, but Ibe and Yeag had another plan. They were going to go find their secret way out of the stables and find someone to deal with the fires, then find their owner. They agreed, then split up, which was probably one of the worst mistakes of his life.

They didn’t find anyone to put out the fire, nor did they ever find their owner. Instead, they found something neither of them had ever been trained for; a fight.

Cats were attacking them from all sides. The only good thing they had going for them was that they were faster than the others. They outran them for a while, but after a while, Yeag was caught, and Iberius, trying to be noble, turned around and tried to free him. He was beaten, scratched, clawed, and now he knew the exhaustion that Feri felt when she had returned from her unsuccessful run. After a while, Ibe noticed that Yeag’s beaten and bloody figure was laying in the dirt, the fire of their home roaring behind him, his eyes open and lively and panicked. Weakly, so weakly, telling him to run.

This is what Ibe was built for. It was his first instinct. He barely even had to think about it before he was taking off, sprinting through the streets, towards the exit gates, out of Massilia, to the only place he could think of. The fantasy places Askari had told them about, where cats ran free from their hateful and deadly pasts—the wild.

|| And touch the flame ||

Iberius ran straight towards the open plains and rising moon. And another thing. A figure, running in front of him, their trail leaving a scent of soot and smoke. Someone in his posse? Feri, possibly? Ibe knew it was unlikely, since this figure was running so quickly, and Feri had been too weak to even stand when he had last seen her. He hoped that the rest of his family was following close behind, though.

The figure suddenly disappeared, and Ibe realized that the cat had collapsed. When the brightly colored cheetah caught up to them, it was Flynn, covered in dirt and dust and ashes. He stood there, staring down at his friend’s weak figure, waiting for someone else to catch up to them, for another messenger to meet them out there, but no one came. He began to run back to the city, but quickly stopped himself. He couldn’t just leave Flynn out there alone. What if those cats chased them back out here? What if there was something even more dangerous in the fields? What if those wild cats weren’t friendly?
He stood with his back to Flynn and his heart towards Massilia for what seemed like hours. The sun began to rise, and he could still see the smoke billowing out from the city where his home had been. He had to go back and find Yeag and Feri and Askari. He had to save them. But had had to save Flynn. But they could die. But he could die.

He needed to save the rest of his family. It wouldn’t be enough with just Flynn. It wouldn’t be the same. But if he went back, there was a good chance that all of them would die. If he took Flynn somewhere safe, though, it might be too late to go back to the city. Then only Flynn would be a survivor. Ibe didn’t know what was in Flynn’s past, but he was sure that the younger cheetah would take his second family’s deaths just as bad as the first. Ibe needed to save everyone. He didn’t want to go through loss. He couldn’t go through that pain he had seen Flynn deal with. Flynn would be fine out here until Ibe came back with the rest of them. He would be fine. Ibe needed to save them. He couldn’t lose his family.

But the next thing he knew, Flynn’s scruff was between his jaws, and he was dragging him through the fields, away from Massilia and away from his family. Flynn had to survive, even if no one else would. After a while of dragging, Ibe noticed the overwhelming scent of other cats. His ears perked up. They were talking, laughing, and he could see them, a ways away from him. They seemed friendly, and in his mind, Ibe saw Flynn’s future laid out before him; he would be found, beaten and exhausted by these armored cats, and they would take him in, heal him, give him a new family. Flynn would survive, but none of the others would if Ibe decided to stay out here. So he dropped his friend, let out a loud yowl, then sprinted away, faster than he had ever run. He swore he was as fast as Feri that day.

|| Where the streets have no name ||

He returned to Massilia, sneaking in through a side door that no one used. The first place he checked was where he had left Yeag. There was a bloodstain in the road’s dirt and tufts of fur, but no cats remained. He snuck back to his old stables. It was blackened and charred and there were humans around, throwing buckets of water on the still-hot remains. His owner was standing in the street, looking furious and talking in outrage to a Roman soldier who was trying to calm him down. Since Ibe could pick up on bits of human conversation, he heard a few phrases that set panic into his stomach. “…took all my cats!...where is my business?...I have nothing…probably all dead…”

Infuriated, Ibe didn’t even consider showing himself to his owner. They had taken them? Those cats who had ambushed them? He knew exactly where they were from…another messaging service. So he went there. But their enclosure was much more closed off, and Ibe couldn’t even figure out what part of the building the cats were kept in.

For the next month, Ibe lived in the abandoned slums of Massilia, where he learned a lot. He learned how to hunt for rats and birds, and where the safest places to get water was. He learned that the vicious messenger opponents had taken over his routes. He never saw any of his family come out, which made him worried. He learned that there was actually a group of security cats called Bounty Hunters that patrolled the city and occasionally went outside to hunt down the cats they called “Empire rats.” He watched them and made sure that they never brought in Flynn, but his friend was safe out there, he hoped. His life became lonely. He hated living this way, with nothing to do, only daring to come out at night, wrapped in a black cloth that he had found in an old shed to keep his bright pelt from standing out. He travelled through the alleys and kept to the shadows. He never took off his turquoise collar, the only thing that reminded him of home. Sometimes a human would see him, call a guard, but by the time anyone even could think about catching him, he was gone, sprinting back to the slums where no one would find him.

On his final night out in the streets, however, he was wandering out, watching the messenger routes, keeping an eye out for Hunters. That night, he ran into a young cougar with packs strapped across his back. The cat was young and looked lost, clearly working for the messaging service that had attacked his family. Ibe got his attention and convinced him to come to the alley where he was hiding. He trapped him down, forced him to tell him everything he knew about Yeag and Feri and Askari. The cat knew nothing, was terrified. He didn’t know what he meant about an attack on the other messaging service; he had been told they were the only ones in this part of Massilia. He was new; he had just started his first solo runs when he got lost on a particularly long one. Ibe was furious. Of course, the one cat he got to finally talk to him didn’t have a clue. He let the cougar go, told him he could tell his comrades about him, because by the morning, he’d be gone. It didn’t matter. He was tired. He missed Flynn, and right now, they were both alone and without a family. He had to go back to the wild and find his friend.

He ran out to where he had left Flynn, his scent long gone by now, and just kept walking. It was middle of the night, he was tired and excited to finally get to see his friend again. He was found by a night patrol of cats covered in armor, saying they were from something called Air Empire. When he asked about Flynn, a female serval by the name of Avita, who was apparently their leader, assured him that Flynn was safe within their camp, where Ibe would also be welcome if he wanted. He accepted, and soon was reunited with his only bit of family left.

Ibe told Flynn of what had happened in Massilia, where their family was, and he swore he’d one day get back and find them. One day, they’d be as free as he was.

statistics
strengths and skills

tactics -- 0
endurance -- 0
speed -- 0
strength -- 0
defense -- 0
attack -- 0

ep tracker

assignments

none

daily life

none

roleplays

none

roleplay tracker

current

-- iberius and aiolos (tie-falcon )

-- iberius and tybalt (whospeakspizza )

completed

-- none

discontinued

-- none

relations

family

-- work in progress --

relationships

family
likes
  friend
   best friend
respect
  idol
crush
  romance
unsure
discomfort
  hates
   wants dead
fear
mate
dead

--work in progress--

roleplay example

taken from a roleplay with tie-falcon
He listened to her story with deep interest. He wondered if he had ever delivered packages down her alley--he often took shortcuts when he was trying to beat Feri in their races. He wondered if her brother was alive. He wondered if his brothers were alive. He felt a bit guilty, suddenly, for never really thinking about how their lives turned out. He'd never even stopped to wonder if they'd survived training, let alone the fights.

"I guess I do have Flynn," Iberius replied, though it didn't really feel like it anymore. Being a seasoned Gladiator, Flynn was always out on patrols, checking the borders, making sure cats could eat in the morning. Iberius was probably a little bitter that Flynn seemed to be enjoyingit. Didn't he miss his life back in Massilia? Didn't he miss Feri or Askari or Yeag? Any of it?

"He's great, though," the cheetah continued. "He's like...my brother, pretty much." Ibe paused, unsure of what to say. "So, uh, do you have any family in the Empires? Or back in Massilia that you know of?"

--