Sky Kats. One of the most beloved and beautiful of all the kats species. They are unique, as they are the only ones with natural wings that allow them to fly.
But their past hold a plague known as the Sky Kat Curse.
Only about a two hundred years ago in kat terms, a horrible plague struck the Sky Kats of Tryne. It only struck the Sky Kats, and no other kat. Most Sky Kats at that time lived in only one place. The Hymbroad Cliffs. There lived most of the Sky Kats. There they lived peacefully and happily, with an almost perfect society.
Then one day one Sky Kat fell sick. His name was Weskain, and he was the first kat to die of the Curse. Weskain literally fell from the sky, and after a few shudders died on the ground.
At the time, the Sky Kats thought it just a fluke, or something that the Plains Kats had done to the poor kat.
Then, after a few days, three more kats died. Then more. Each day, the death toll in Hymbroad grew. After the Sky Kats figured out what was going on, many fled. Most of the ones who stayed, and many of the kats who fled, died.
The end result of the Curse? Only about a hundred or less Sky Kats in existance.
Now the Sky Kats are coming back, but slowly. Many of the kats who survived ended up sterile. Others had defunctional kits that were killed to save them from a life of misery. Yet others had odd wings, tails, ears, and bodies. Some were born without wings.
Still, somehow they managed to survive. But they live in a harsh world, where Plains Kats hate and kill them, predators are more than willing to take down a kat, and peace was a thing that did not exist.
To this day they do not know what caused the Curse, but many speculate that it was a Plains Kat. Some even whisper the name Chameleon in dark corners.
Nonetheless, despite all the obstacles in their way, the Sky Kats still live and still strive to bring peace to the world of Tryne.
Sky Kat Curse Fact Sheet (by Cheshire):
What is the Sky Kat Curse?
The Curse is actually two diseases, confused due to their similar symptoms and the fact they only seem to effect Sky Kats. The bacterial version of the Curse is far more fast-killing and deadly, responsible for the deaths 200 years ago which nearly made the Skies extinct. The viral form is much less severe and still occasionally surfaces, as opposed to the bacterial form which is mainly obsolete. Both diseases target the fluid around the brain and the reproductive organs, causing death, speech/mental problems, or mutated kits.
What are the symptoms?
The first symptom of the Curse is a headache and mild discomfort in the genital region. These swiftly progress to seizures, delirium, and blackouts. While the bacterial version of the Curse can kill in a matter of hours, the viral form progresses much more slowly. Many survivors, due to the fact that the brain and the reproductive organs are the targets, are left sterile or with mental disorders. These can be passed on to the surviving kat's kits.
What causes it?
There are two culprits: one is a type of bacteria, which caused the near extinction of the Sky Kats and is now fairly obsolete, and the other is a virus, much less serious and still floating around today.
How is it spread?
How the Curse got to the Sky Kats is unknown, but it can be passed from kat to kat through the air or bodily fluids. Both forms of the disease are highly contagious, and even healthy carriers - kats who have the virus or bacteria in them but aren't effected by it - are common. Most of the time, these healthy carriers are kats that aren't Skies.
Where is it found?
No one is truly sure where the Curse came from, though it first appeared on the Hymbroad Cliffs. It spread rapidly throughout Tryne, and really perhaps only the tundra or deserts were free of the bacterial form - the viral form is everywhere.
How can it be prevented?
So little is known about the Curse that there seems to be few ways to avoid infection. Since no one knows how the disease is transferred from carrier to kat, no one knows what to avoid. However, as both forms of the Curse are fairly rare, there's a small chance of catching it nowadays.
How is it treated?
Several gold kats working together can occasionally stop the Curse, but if you're unlucky enough to catch it there's very little you can do. It depends on the strength of the kat's immune system. However, if a kat recovers from one strain of the Curse, he or she develops an immunity... but is still susceptible to the other form. This immunity works better for the viral form, as the bacterial form mutates occasionally.
What are your chances of getting it?
The Curse has become fairly dormant in recent years, though the viral form still surfaces occasionally. Also, the Curse only affects Sky Kats, so any other breed is safe. If there's an epidemic of either type of the Curse going around, there's a 87% chance a Sky Kat will catch it. The chances are nonexistant if there's no epidemic, however.
