{"sf1_id":1584884,"sf2_id":"5nzqvEdm","title":"Piercing the Swordsman: Prologue","author":"Caeruviri","words":305,"posted_at":"2020-05-30T18:00:00.000Z","tags":["Badger","Bat","Cat","Dragon","Fantasy","Lion","M/M","Magic","Plot Development","Political","Scalie","Tigress"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1584884-piercing-the-swordsman-prologue","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/5nzqvEdm","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=1584884\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"Dragon slaying. Steampunk. High fantasy. An era bygone. No humans. What's not to like? Dive into a world where classic themes like 'family' and 'true love' are fondly pulled apart and put under a magnifying glass. The animals, despite having tails, using magic, and being concerned over high-power politics, are a lot like you and me. A certain sensible dog will make that quite clear, alongside our two somewhat more impulsive feline protagonists.","content":"Dragons were a threat to most of the world.   \n  \nOnly a few places were truly safe from them.   \n  \nThe gigantic gemstone which protected the Valley from the shadow of dark beasts' wings was legendary. It had chosen a royal line of lions that had presided over the citizens for more than twenty generations.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nOther countries had to commission magical wielders to slay dragons when the need arose, when their populations would spill over into talking animal settlements.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nOnly truly powerful wielders could accomplish such a feat. Below a certain magical strength level, all they could do was repel a dragon. And even then, it might take multiple wielders.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nBut, due to certain circumstances, the Valley now needed guarding, too.\n\nMany a monarch had a 'wizard' always on hand to keep his or her kingdom safe.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThat term was falling out of favor among the non-magical populus. Partially because it had a particularly Western flavor. Magical animals from other countries were, as trade routes opened up, more and more roaming the world to swell the ranks of protectors.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nOne of the most powerful wielder clans on the planet, predictably enough, was comprised of . . .\n\n  \n\n. . . magical black cats.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nNo one knows why black cats were so dominant in the magical animal kingdom. There were many theories, but they were hard to test.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n\nThe neon green eyes and midnight fur of the Mao were legendary in their own right.\n\n\u0026nbsp;Even the runt of his litter, a stub-tailed cat who inexplicably went by the same name, first and last, could slay even most medium-sized dragons barely even lifting a claw.   \n  \nBut this little feline had a host of other weaknesses, as the ruler of the Valley was about to find out.   \n  \nFor, as it turned out, a lion was in love with a cat.\u0026nbsp;  \n  \n\n","series":{"name":"Piercing the Swordsman","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1591096-piercing-the-swordsman-chapter-1-intro.json"}}