Miaura and the Creation of Cats

In the early days, the gods watched over their people with pride. Humans were given traits to live free and unique lives, each god and goddess gave them a gift to live in their own way.

Miaura, the goddess of natural light shone down on them when she awoke each morning, giving the humans on earth vitality and clarity of mind. Miaura was proud of the light and life she gave them - loving the people like they were her children. Her father, the god of all life on earth, was so proud of Miaura and her care for humans, that he gifted her all the lakes and oceans, letting her light reflect up to the heavens - so that he and the entire realm of gods may also enjoy its beauty.

Humans flocked to the waters around them to feel the warmth reflected onto them, it brought happiness to them - a sense of love and a power of healing. They went to the lakes and oceans when they needed to heal their troubled minds, her light reflected back at them brought them comfort and clarity. It was a powerful cure when their spirits became sick.

Miaura’s brother, the god of night, was jealous of his sister's attention from their father. So he devised a plan to remove the healing power of her light. He pulled from beyond their heavenly realm and into the darkness of time and space beyond them, infused it with his malice and spread it throughout all the water on Earth. The darkness crept up from the bottom of all water, halting Miaura’s reflective power. The people on Earth grew darker without the healing light, they no longer found peace near the water, and their troubled minds went unchecked causing sadness to spread throughout all of Earth.

Miaura was devastated by her brother's betrayal and pleaded with their father to undo the damage he had done. He listened to her pleas but said that he could not, because the darkness in their minds was not his to remove, and the darkness in the waters was from a force beyond his - even he could not stop the powers of time and space. Miaura wept for an eternity, her light dimmed and all of the earth got darker for a time. The days grew cooler, crops failed and famine flourished, the climate shifted, bringing the people of earth into a period known as the darkness.

Her brother came to her to boast his success, “You are naïve, sister,” he laughed. "You cannot simply give humans freedom from pain and sorrow. They are weak and do not respect the world we have given them. They do not deserve the gift you wish to bestow on them - they must find their own way." She watched him walk away, feeling his bitterness spread behind him and seep out into the world beneath them.

Miaura refused to believe her brother's judgement of the humans that she loved. She went down to earth to be with them for a time. She saw them toiling in their work, fighting amongst themselves, exhausted with their lives. They were scattered of mind and she was sad that she could not provide them with the gift of clarity any longer. For more than one thousand years she walked among them, trying to find a way to help. During that time she saw a loneliness that could not be fixed by other humans. She saw a desire for something more than just the companionship of each other, she saw a need for a partner independent in spirit, but protective in nature.

She returned to the heavens with a resolve to undo as best she could the hurt her brother had inflicted on her beloved people. She crafted a creature to go live amongst the humans, a creature that could be both friend and protector. She gave it four legs, each a pillar of spirit, one for independence - so that it may maintain objectivity, one for determination - so that it may find resolve in its mission, one for loyalty - so that it may also protect, and one for affection - so that it may provide the companionship the people so desperately needed. She gave it a graceful tail to provide balance between the world of humans and the world of the gods, and finally, she gave it a silky coat in which she imbued her light into the tip of each strand of fur - so that her healing light could reach the humans whenever they needed it.

She showed her creation to her father and asked him to give it to the people on Earth below. He gave them a voice to honour his daughter - a miau.

Miaura sent the creatures to earth with a mission to love people and bring them companionship when they needed her light. At first they stayed in the shadows, observing and evaluating their charge. Over time they emerged into the lives of people, slowly at first, earning their trust and cultivating the connection between their two worlds.

The people were drawn to them and worked hard to get them to come and be with them. They tried to catch and tether them, they tried to domesticate them into their homes, but they would not be caught - they were not there to be owned. The elusive creatures that they could not catch, became known as cats - trying to catch but never to be caught. Slowly people learned to live together with them.

They gave them beds to sleep in, prey to feed on, shelter from predators, and freedom to move. In turn, the cats gave them companionship that provided comfort when needed and protection from earthly and heavenly darkness. The cats chose the people who needed them most first, remembering their mission - to provide light to those who are dimming.

When Miaura would come to earth to walk amongst the people, the cats would follow her for hundreds of miles. Together they would roam the world, bringing light and life wherever they went.

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Thank you for reading! This is my first foray into any sort of mythical story telling. If you liked it please press the heart and if you have comments or feedback I'd love to hear them.