The stars twinkle in and out of sight, their reflections like fireflies in the dark lake. The lake itself seems to shake, and one gets the sense that it is trembling in anticipation of something. The forest around seems to move and grow much faster than usual, tunnels and doorways opening and closing almost imperceptibly. Across the rocky soil that surrounds the lake are many odd items, signs of living, but there are no buildings, no not-cats, no creatures… not even the smallest insect. The plants are the only life near this dark mirror, and the air seems to be holding its breath. Every step towards the lake seems magnetic, like a force pulling you into the water. It swallows you like the warm embrace of night, and beams of starlight become tangible, snaking around you and pulling you deeper into the lake, until…

“Hello, dear heart. We thought you might answer the call of the water.” A dark brown tabby blinks gently at you with warm, Nestor-brown eyes. He radiates safety, despite the skull perched on top of his own, and the glinting scythe strapped to his side. A red snake lounges around his shoulders, and it too peers at you with sad knowledge in its eyes.

“We’re sorry. The lake… we do our best, but it still yearns for life.” It is regret that wells in the tears of the second figure that greets you. Her tail lashes in agitation, and her pale pelt shines like pearl in the starlight. Pink flower petals shower down from her crown as she lowers her head. “I am Caravine, the… founder, you could say, of this place.” She raises a paw, and gestures around the three of you, a clear invitation to look around.

And so you do. Here is a reflection of the forest, with its labyrinthine trails and passages, with the same lake at the center. Only, the lake is now silver, glowing with a gentle but strong light, illuminating the village surrounding it. Not-cats and creatures go about their day, working and playing, and despite the normalcy of the scene, there’s an overwhelming sense of longing and sorrow and loss. It permeates the air, the breeze singing a mournful song. The villagers sing songs and decorate their surroundings with colour and beauty, and yet their joy cannot overcome the lake.

“I am Stormy,” says the first cat, bringing your attention back to him. “I will help you adjust to life here. It can be difficult, living so close to the lake, but we manage. So can you.”

“That’s the thing,” adds Caravine. “You must manage. Only a few have ever been able to escape the call of the water. Most likely, you will live the rest of your… life here.”

Noticing the hesitation around the word “life”, you take a closer look at the cats in front of you. At first, they seem normal, if not sorrowful, but on a second inspection…

“Yes. The lake takes something from us, which is why so few escape.” Stormy rose to his paws, and it’s in his movement you see it. His body ripples, and for a moment you can see the world in his pelt. His stripes become trees, and suddenly you see him running through the trees, another not-cat at his side. Stormy is noticeably younger, his muzzle no longer speckled with silver. The pair is cheering, and as they race through the forest, you notice it shifting around them, narrowing the path and closing off the other trails. Stormy pulls ahead, with a sudden burst of speed, and his voice rises in victory as he skids out onto the rocks. “Did you see that? I’m like lightning! That must be why my mother named me Stormy, she knew I’d be fast.” There was no response, and he turned to look at his companion, but there was only a solid wall of forest. The path had closed up, and his companion was somewhere behind there.

He frantically turned circles, panic and confusion taking over. “Help! Where are you? Why did you leave me?” His voice breaks, and his wails leave him panting. It’s okay, Stormy. Come this way, my little storm cloud. The voice is welcoming, and Stormy grabs onto any bit of comfort he can. “Mother?” His voice is high-pitched and small, almost like a kitten again. “Mother, I’m lost. Where are you? Please help me.” This way, my baby. Follow my voice. I’ll take you somewhere safe. And you watch through his eyes as poor Stormy, barely out of kittenhood, trusts in the whisper of the wind and wades into the lake. He sinks down, and you watch as the dark lake closes above him, and calms down until you can’t see even a ripple or bubble on its surface.

“It was difficult, adjusting to living down here. Especially when my life looms over me like that.” Stormy’s voice pulls you out of your vision, and blinking back tears, you follow his gaze to the sky. It’s not really night, but the lake’s surface is dark as tar, with little silver lights blinking inside it. They’re not stars, or fireflies, or fish. They… what are they? You turn back, and Caravine stares wistfully towards the lights.

“Our lives. They live up there in the in-between, stolen by the lake. That’s why so few make it out. You have to find your life, or the lake pushes you back down here. It wants to keep us, you see. We sustain it, and in turn, it sustains us in this not-quite-life.” She turns to you, and her eyes are devastating to see. “I’ve tried. To get my life back. I was the only one down here when I arrived, but the lake had claimed so many, and I couldn’t find mine. It’s one of our greatest fears, disappearing the way the others must have. We don’t know who they were, or what happened.”

“Almost no one tries anymore,” Stormy sighs. “Only the new ones, or the young ones. To try and fail is worse than accepting it. Because the things you see in the lake… it opens the wound again, makes the loss feel fresh. Better to remember it, than feel it again.”

“You can try, and we will help you. Just… know that it’s near impossible. You can build a life down here. It’s not always terrible. That’s what I’m here for, as a guide. I’ll work with you, find you a job. You could even have a family.” Stormy regains some light in his eyes, and you can tell that’s what he did.

Caravine tilts her head, and offers a different option. “Or you could fight it. That’s why we adventure, to try and find a way out of this forsaken place. There are spirits, out in the woods, and the trees themselves come into a half-life to keep us in here. And yet, no matter how often we defeat the shadow guardian, we are stuck here. But the items we find in its lair, we think they can help us. They have interesting effects on their surroundings, and some of our villagers think they could be used for escape. Either way, you’re here with us now.”

“It’s up to you what you do with your half-life.”