Cordelia

A mute, muscular classic torbie point she-cat with a surgical scar on her head

Cordelia is a stoutly built she-cat whose broad frame is packed with dense muscle on shorter than average legs. She’s got a grounded silluhette that lends her more strength and balance than speed. Her stocky shape is softened by a mid-furred pelt, fluffing around her neck, chest and tail.

While the base of her frame is a toasted off-white, the points of her body darkens to a classic tortie point, blending patches of amber and umbers and darker brown classic splotches. Set within her round face are almond-shaped hazel eyes, with the left unable to fully open. Her time with the Cabal as well as the testing facility has taken its toll on her body and is considerably marred.

Thin scars pepper her ears and muzzle as well as a faded surgical incision stretching across the top of her head. Time has hidden it somewhat behind fuzz, but the pale line remains visible to any cat who looks closely.

Cordelia is a boisterous, opinionated she-cat despite her inability to speak. She is mute as a result of the experiments inflicted upon her and instead communicates through expressive body language and exaggerated eye contact of which she tries to convey her actions without the use of words.

A militant by nature Cordelia thrives on discipline, purpose, and the camaraderie found in shared struggle – no matter the struggle. She relishes a good spar and carries a streak of bloodthirst beneath her cheerful demeanor. Surviving through so much has made her face each battle as if it will be her last – and is more excited for it. Even so her violence is rarely cruelty for cruelty’s sake…Conviction and purpose must exist to give her the strength to protect what matters most.

Once Cordelia pledges herself to some cat or cause, that devotion is unshakable and that purpose is currently taken up by Kosmo and his new group and would gladly spill blood or lay down her own life to protect Caligula’s bloodline.

• Born in the Moon of Melting Waters (2018) 106

Cordelia was born into the Cabal beneath the rule of Caligula, knowing nothing but discipline, order, and loyalty. From the day she could walk, every lesson was punctuated with strength and survival. Hesitation was only defeat. Cordelia reveled in the regimen of sparring circles, drills, and long marches to defend their territory. Scar covered veterans, of which there were many, always earned her admiration and couldn’t wait to gain some herself.

As she grew older she believed her loyalty unquestionable as she matured alongside Andromeda’s brood, which included Kosmo. She grew into a dependable centurion even if her parents warned that her eagerness could one day lead her into trouble. But she never let their words settle in her heart. Better to die serving the Cabal than grow old having done nothing at all.

But that chance came sooner than anyone expected.

During a patrol beyond the Cabal’s usual hunting grounds, Cordelia volunteered to investigate the scent of unfamiliar prey lingering near a human nest. What should have been routine ended up snaring the she-cat in a trap before her patrolmates had realized she was missing and a monster sped her away. The Cabal searched for a time but no trail remained.

For the humans that had captured her, she was taken to an animal testing facility. Her life prisoner was nothing she had every experienced before. They prodded, restrained, and observed her with detached fascination, caring only for the results their experiments produced while Cordelia fought them at every oppertunity – when she wasn’t drowsy with drugs. Over time her body bore the lasting consequences of her time there, from damaged nerves or cruel side effect, Cordelia was left mute.

Yet for all her silence her resolve didn’t waver, and studied the routines of the humans in white. An oppertunity came amid chaos when a shipping truck had knocked over the crates of her kennel. Frightened animals scattered in all directions and Cordelia squeezed out of the wall to escape into the wilderness beyond.

Finding the Cabal was an entirely different beast as she followed the known trails back to where the flood waters had originally drove them out. That was where she reunited with Kosmo, who recognized her behind her new scars. The Cabal had been her first home. Kosmo her first friend.

After learning first paw what cruelty looked like beyond its borders…she cherished it all the more.

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