HEARTFELT PROMISES { .:*・°☆ } ——— [size=10pt]TAGS

The blood division ceremony was for Bettas mostly, yeah, and he wasn't a Betta but that didn't mean that he couldn't take the ceremony, after all he needed to choose his division and he already had his sights on one; The Grim Rays. They were fighters, weapon makers and blacksmiths. Sadly, Marcellus could barely fight but that didn't mean he couldn't learn to fight with only three able legs and a limp one. Maybe he would even become stronger as time went on but that's certainly what he was hoping for. He lacked grace, he was as graceless as a swan with a knot in it's neck and frankly that definitely did say a lot. While he was no soldier yet, he would try his best to become stronger until he could take down enemies left and right.

The night was cold and a draft blew through the males shack house, causing him to be a bit cold to the bone. The nights were always cooler than the days were but he was mostly alright with that considering he usually soak up all that heat from the sun in the morning and frankly could do with a bit of cold air to cool him off. The king cheetah was lying down inside his shack, looking out from a little cut out window as he watched the tide before turning his head to lie it down on his paws. He was exhausted to say the least and nervous at that. The entrance ritual was bad and it didn't even have an intimidating name, but the blood division sounded like someone was gonna give him a few cuts for him to bleed out. At least at Haven island he didn't get hurt and drew blood, well physically. Mentally he got pretty badly hurt.

Pushing away the thoughts of Haven island, the male sighed and adjusted his body to a more comfortable position, his eyes beginning to close halfway with him dozing. At dawn he would be taken to start his blood division ceremony and to say that he was excited would be quite a bit wrong but somewhat right as well. He was both excited and fearful of what would happen and all he knew was that he had to do something with a volcano. Well whatever it was, he would find out tomorrow. Slowly his eyes felt so heavy that he could barely keep them open, the male soon dozing completely off and falling asleep peacefully.

The morning was quick to come and Marcellus had to admit that he wasn't really ready for this, ready to take his blood division ceremony. Mostly he wasn't ready since he had just woken up and his eyes were super heavy so he was relying that the ceremony would wake him up and boy would he be right. Sluggish, the male pushed open the thatch door to his shack and leap down from the platform, catching himself from falling onto sand that was beginning to heat up. The sound of crinkling sounded under his paws once he landed, confusion lighting up Marcel as he lowered his head to grab the paper in his jaws and raise a non-existent brow, the large folded paper covered completely in sand. He carefully took a paw and began to dust off the sand to realize that it had been a map with three large x's marked on it; one at Haven Island, another somewhere in the rainforest, and one outside the Lighthouse.

He couldn't help but feel queasy when he saw the one on Haven Island, a shiver running up his spine as he thought about his experience their once again. He swore to never go back their but it seemed as though he had next to do choice. Reluctantly, the map rolled up the map and held it tightly in between his jaws, his paws beginning to carry him across Barracuda Bay and into the rainforest. He would first look their since so far he was too scared to go back to Haven Island and he wasn't exactly sure where the official path to the Lighthouse was.

Marcellus began to search through the rainforest, avoiding fallen logs and avoiding tripping over or getting his legs caught in sturdy branches that broke off the trees and laid on the ground. Above him sunlight was beginning to shine through more and more as moments passed in his search. He wasn't exactly sure if this was the right way considering he couldn't read maps, nor could he read words. He couldn't read period and it sucked ass, but with time he would force himself to learn. For right now however, he could only hope that he was reading this map correctly and going the right way.

His paws shifted in the ground as he had been walking for a straight solid hour now, the sun almost reaching the center of the sky. His paws were beginning to ache and thoughts of giving up had slipped his mind, but he was patient and he was going to give it a few while more to find the hidden treasure. He dropped the map on the forest floor and rolled it to open it, looking at where the x was at the rainforest, sighing as he began to keep walking aimlessly. He might as well drop the map since he couldn't even read it well, but he decided to keep it anyways just in case it served any other purposes. Which it probably wouldn't.

The male continued on his walk until he saw something beginning to poke out the ground, it looked like a stick but something told him to go to it and so he did, paws carrying him to the spot as he stuck out a paw and began to dig it into the soil, throwing the dirt beside him until the treasure was clear. A small wooden figurine that had the shape of the Necro Mambas division. The male gave a thankful sigh that he had finally found the hidden "treasure," though he wasn't sure how to hold the two things at once. Shit. He didn't think of that. Reluctantly, the male began to kick the figurine with his paws back to Barracuda Bay where he received a satchel from one of NPCs.

Placing the wooden figurine in the satchel, the male placed the map on the ground and unrolled it to see his next destination, the Lighthouse. He had no idea how to get their but looks like he would have to wonder around aimlessly until he found it. He sure as hell couldn't ask someone for directions since he wasn't even sure if that was allowed. Marcel rolled up the map and placed it in his satchel, beginning to go to the central community hub of the Barracuda Bay where he would be able to get a better view of everything, the male looking from side to side until he saw a big building in the distance.

Good, he could see it.

Beginning to move, the male limped to the path that led to the Lighthouse, padding up the dusty sand-covered path. Marcellus had finally reached the top of the path and was in front of the Lighthouse, the male looking around the front and even making a few small holes to find the next wooden figurine. At first he was beginning to grow frustrated with trying to find it but then he made one last hole and his paw had hit something that felt of wood. Enthusiastically, the male began to dig into the soil where he was able to catch sight of the wood, biting into the figurine and pulling it out of the dirt. The figurine had been in the shape of the symbol for the Blackjack Rats division. Again, this one wasn't the division he wanted to join so that meant:

the Grim Rays division figurine was the one on Haven Island.

No. He couldn't go back their, he didn't want to go back their. That place made gave him too many emotions and memories, one he wanted to keep below the bay. The male dropped the figurine into his satchel and began to walk reluctantly towards the docks on Barracuda Bay. All the excitement he had left was replaced by fear and nothing more, and just from looking at the island it made him want to shake and cower. His eyes watched the island as the ship began to sail back from it for anyone who needed to go to that island and frankly it looks like it would be him. His eyes watched the ship come to a stop with the male reluctantly taking slow steps onto the ship.

Marcel felt dizzy, scared, frightened, he wanted to curl back into a ball and pretend he wasn't on that shitty island. But he needed that wooden figurine in order to even be apart of the Grim Rays division. He had to face his fears on this island even if he didn't want to. The male felt his breath get caught in his chest as the ship started to move, getting closer and closer to Haven Island by the minute. He was going to have to do this, to get that Grim Rays figurine even though he so badly didn't want to. Within moments they pulled up to the dock, the ship being prepared to allow him to get off, his paws padding against the wood until he landed on the dock safely.

What he didn't anticipate however, was the ship leaving right after he landed on the dock.

Marcellus spun around quickly, his eyes wide as he ran towards the edge of the dock in a useless attempt to catch the ship. "Wait! Don't leave me here!" He screamed but yet he couldn't be heard over the crashing waves and by how far they had already gotten. Great. He was stranded on this hell island until the next ship. He didn't want to turn around, he didn't want to see what was behind him or what might have been waiting for him but reluctantly he turned his head to look over his shoulder, a frown appearing on his face but then that frown dispersing when he saw nothing. Marcel refused to believe that nothing was going to happen to him and that he was going to be alright, but what he believed or didn't believe didn't matter right now. What mattered was that he had to get this totem and then get the fuck off this island and he was frantic to get off this island.

The king cheetah began to walk off the dock and onto the sand of the island, his paws heated from it's touch. His paws began to carry him through the sand and into the small forest the island held, him beginning to look in bushes and under the roots of trees until finally there it was; the figurine that resembled the symbol of the Grim Rays. He had found it and he could finally be released off this damn island. Marcellus quickly grabbed the figurine in his jaws and began to walk back to the dock at a brisk pace, hectic to get off this island and it seemed for once that his prayers had been answered. In the distance was the ship that was coming back to the island and never had the cheetah been so happy to see a big chunk of wood floating on the sea.

Once the ship had docked, the cheetah wasted no time in climbing on board, the ship beginning to move a few minutes after he did so. Within moments he was back on Barracuda Bay, the male leaping off and nearly kissing the ground beneath his feet with joy. Now one last trial remained and that was with him going up to the volcano and deciding his division. Two NPCs began to led him towards the path to the volcano and at this point Marcellus' paws hurt like hell, making him slow and sluggish in his movements though he had to admit that all this stress and frustration woke him up fully even though he lacked most the energy he had at the beginning of this ceremony.

With the volcano in the distance, the male nearly felt his skin go pale. How the fuck was he supposed to climb that? Especially since there were probably falling rocks everywhere and it being hot to the touch. Finally he was at the base of the volcano, the male looking up reluctantly. This was it, his last trial before he was able to finally join the division of the Grim Rays. He better make this one count. The male began his hike up the steep slope, unsheathing his claws to help aid in his climb as he placed his paws in crevices on the volcano that helped him stay up. For a moment Marcel looked over his shoulder to see how high up he was and then looked back forwards only to be hit in the face with a couple of small rocks, causing him to nearly lose his grip and his eyes to close in the act of a wince. Hastily however, he regained his posture and continued up his hike.

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Nearly half an hour had passed when Marcellus finally reached the top, the limp legged male out of breath and desperate to get this part of the trial over with. Frankly, he was starting to prefer Haven Island over climbing up the entire side of a volcano. The male took out all three wooden figurines from the satchel, his eyes gazing over each one thoughtfully. He had wanted to joined the Grim Rays but thinking about the other divisions sound really interesting as well. He thought for a moment but it hadn't lasted long with the cheetah padding over to the figurine that represented the Blackjack Rats division, and pushing the figurine with a nudge to go over the cliff side and eventually get burned by the hot lava inside the volcano.

One down, one to go.

It was between the Grim Rays and the Necro Mambas. Truth be told, he probably would've served better as a healer due to his limp leg and lack of fighting skills, but in the end he knew what he wanted to be apart of, what he wanted to do and thus he pushed over the wooden figurine of the Necro Mambas, his head peering over the edge of the volcano to watch it spat into the lava and get sink in while it got burned. Officially he had decided what he wanted to do, the male lowering his head to clamp his jaws around the small wooden figurine of the Grim Rays and lifting it up with a sense of pride in his choice.

Skidding down the volcano as carefully as he could, Marcellus reached the bottom and began to make his way to Barracuda Bay where the Tempest was. He didn't live inside the Tempest but he would be more than willing to move into the ship and living inside the ship that the Typhoon owned was an honor that he couldn't believe. The male dropped his wooden figurine in front of the totem pole for the Grim Rays and dabbed his paw into a pile of wet red paint, bringing up his paw to place the pawprint onto the long large piece of wood.

This was it. From now on he was apart of the Grim Rays division.