Prologue:

Crotalus stared in anger at the King of the Grove, King Balsam.
"You don't belong here anymore. Get out, or I'll have my guards kill you and the rest of your family!" Balsam screeched, his fur bristling in anger. "Fine, but mark my words: if you EVER hurt my family, I'll burn this grove to the ground!" Crotalus spat in rage

"Just get out of here, NOW, Crotalus!" Balsam sighed. Balsam and Crotalus both had bad wounds on them, and Balsam's floral crown had been broken and shredded in their battle. Crotalus turned to his family, his young son looking up at him in fear.

"Where are we going, Daddy?"









Page 1

Chapter 1:

Amaryllis felt soft light filtering in throughout the forest as she hunted. She could smell a Bulbori in the shadows, but couldnt quite decipher where it was. Amaryllis took another breath. A Luffox was close by, she knew it. One last time, Amaryllis took in another breath. She could smell... an Outcast.

Amaryllis could feel her heartbeat quicken. Quickly, she dropped to the ground. The rest of the hunting party had separated from her, since she prefers hunting alone. Now if only she could just sneak away without the Outcast knowing...

Too late. The Outcast had scented her too, and was now racing through the bushes right towards her.

Amaryllis could smell rot, decay, and dirt. This Outcast was obviously filthy. Amaryllis could hear the Outcast panting. He or she had been running for a while. Taking her chance, Amaryllis pounced on the intruder as forcefully as she could.

"Hey!" the Outcast screeched, "what the heck are you doing?!"

"I could ask you the same question, Outcast." Amaryllis sneered. She felt a nip on her hind paw and laughed. "If you really think thats gonna make me get off, then youre wro- OWW" Amaryllis cried jumping to her paws. She whipped around to see her attacker.

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A male Puffadore stood facing her, with flames swirling around him, and a skull necklace surrounded by feathers. But the most terrifying thing about him was the fact that he wore a mask, a mask made from someone's skull.


"W-who are you?" Amaryllis asked breathlessly.

"Me? Im Prince Pantherophis of the Outcasts. Now tell me, who are you?" Pantherophis asked.

Amaryllis felt a knot in her stomach. She didn't understand why, but Amaryllis felt drawn to this strange Outcast. He wasn't as rude as the rest of them. "I-i'm Amary" Amaryllis coughed. "I'm Mary. Now, its my turn to ask questions. What are you doing here in this half of the grove?"

Pantherophis shuffled his paws in the dirt. "My father, King Copperhead, sent me here to get recruits and steal eggs from the Garden Grove. Do you know the way there?" He answered. The flames he had for eyes seemed to brighten and burn brighter. Amaryllis swallowed.


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"I'm afraid I-i do know the way. But, Im not going back." Amaryllis said confidently. That reply seemed to make Pantherophis even happier.

"GREAT! That means you can come back with me!" Pantherophis jumped up, ran to Amaryllis, and touched his nose with his. Amaryllis blushed.

Pantherophiss smile was too strong. He was too handsome, so charming, so convincing Amaryllis gasped.

"Is something wrong, Mary?" Pantherophis asked.

Amaryllis shook her head. She knew what was happening to her. She was falling in love.

"I-i cant!" she whispered. Silence. Pantherophis looked at her, astonishment appearing in his skull-mask.


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"But, y-you can come back. Everyone would except you, I promise! You'll adapt, your fur will change along with your mutations! If you want... you could even be my queen one day." Amaryllis's heart skipped a beat. Pantherophis took a step closer to her, his ear-tail reaching for hers.

When the tail grabbed hers, and he wrapped it around his, Amaryllis wasn't tempted to pull away. In fact, she stepped closer. She put her head to his chest fur. She wrapped her left ear-tail to his, then looked into his fire eyes. Pantherophis looked back. Then, he put his nose to hers, a Sylesti's way of a kiss.

They kept their noses touching for a minute. When they separated, she put her paw on his.

A burst of pain shot through her paw and her mind, but she couldnt make her paw get away from his. She was having a vision.

* * *

A pack of Outclanners attacking Grovers. An egg. Pantherophis and Amaryllis fighting. Them in a lake together with a small hatchling. Her Mother and Father. the Healer as she treated Mother. Father lying in a puddle of blood. Amaryllis's jaws wrapped around Pantherophis's throat.

And then a different vision. They were in a lake together. Amaryllis left. Pantherophis crying. Outclanners attacking Grovers, and Amaryllis and Pantherophis running from the battle. Them in a cave, alone. An egg. They were caught by Humans. Another egg. A hatchling. Them running. Pantherophis adapting. A new image of him...



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Amaryllis collapsed, panting. A searing pain shot through her head, and her paw had black veins. Amaryllis scrambled away from Pantherophis, panting. A look of sheer surprise and hurt came from his mask. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

"No I-i can't... go... can't" she replied breathlessly. And then, she collapsed, everything going black.

* * *

Amaryllis woke in a warm bed, made from fine Luffox wool and Griffi feathers. Her paw was bandaged and numb. This room, it was familiar, yet different. Then it hit her; she was in the Healers room.

"Caladium! Caladium! Come HERE!" Amaryllis yelled hoarsely. But, when someone finally came in, it was not Caladium.

"Hey, whoa Mary. Calm down. Youre in the Outcast healing room. Im Taipan." When Taipan finally came into view, she saw that it was a white and grey Puffadore with red eyes. He smiled kindly, his feathered wings resting gently on her forehead. "Youre headache is gone. Oh look, Pantherophis is here to see you."

Amaryllis saw him already. He had removed his mask, and had beautiful red eyes. He smiled at her, then padded over to her bed.






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"Feeling better, Mary? I asked my parents, and they said it was fine if you move here. Isnt that great Mary? We can be together! I can be king, and you can be my queen! We we can even start a family if we want." Pantherophis said quietly, touching his nose to hers with so much love and happiness that it was hard to believe he was an Outcast.

Amaryllis felt a tear fall down her cheek. "No, Im sorry. We cant. I-i'm not who I say I am. I'm actually the pr-"

"THE PRINCESS!" a voice screeched behind Pantherophis, interrupting Amaryllis's sentence. Someone sprinted to the bed, and pinned Amaryllis to it, sinking their claws into her throat.
"What?" Pantherophis gasped in surprise, pouncing on the attacker to make them move. He then shoved his face into hers.

"Is this true, Mary?" He screeched, rage, fear, hurt, but mostly hatred drifted into his gaze. Amaryllis flinched as she said "Yes." With that, she also said "And my name is not Mary, it is Princess Amaryllis of the Garden Kingdom. I-i'm sorry Pantherophis. I lied to you." She cringed on the inside when he stood up, turned, walked over to the door, looked back, and then left.


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All characters so far and soon to be:

Amarylis


Queen Angelonia


King Balsam


Healer Caladium


Pantherophis


King Copperhead


Queen Thistle


Healer Taipan


Executer Mamba

Chapter 2

[TO BE CONTINUED]