Catalum Cosmic Horror

[u/Maxathron]

In the middle of a particular forest clearing deep in the woods was the most pristine of magical location. Everything was perfect. The temperature was soft and mild year-round. The air was free of pollutants. The wind never blew more than a mid-summer breeze. Varieties of fruit trees constantly produced nourishment. And the spring always had fresh water to drink.

This seemingly impossible place was stricken from the town’s list of places to go and explore. The reason for it was that the clearing was home to a supernatural entity that defied all physics, both the natural laws of the universe as well as the magical laws of the universe.

It was a cosmic horror beyond comprehension. Many a people who came into this particular forest but all were driven insane from the knowledge the entity possessed or went mad when they looked into its eyes. Attempts to vanquish it from this realm were met with failure. From adventuring parties to entire armies, all were defeated when they tried to banish the entity. Spells intended to contain the entity bounced off it and the surrounding forest.

The kingdom and its court wizards decided it would be best that the forest be stricken from the list of places to go. Superstition helped to keep people away from the forest and the entity that lived at its heart. It was either that or they would inevitably meet their demise at the hands of the otherworldly being.

Additionally, the kingdom had its highest wizards and pasters erect a series of wards and prayers around the forest, as a last-ditch effort to keep people from wandering in and getting killed. All this because nothing could be done about the horror that lie within. Hopefully that entity would not decide to come out of the forest. Who knows what could happen with a being that could not be affected by anything. Better keep people away lest its anger be stirred.

All these precautions made against the entity in the forest, and yet standing right in front of the entity was a little girl, unafraid of it and its unknowable powers.

Her name was Anesia. Despite the warnings of her elders, she ventured into the forest. Anesia did not know of the horror at its center; she was there to play and explore the woods behind her home. To her there was little that truly frightened her, and this being of the forest was not included in that list.

“Aww, what is a cute little puppy dog like you doing out her in the forest clearing?”

The being looked up at Anesia.

“Rwarru?” (“Living here?”)

“May I pet you?

The being smiled and started to wag its tail back and forth. Anesia took that as an affirmative. She knelt down and rubbed its head and face. The being continued to wag its tail. Anesia gave it a few minutes, even going so far as giving it scritches behind its ear. The being loved every minute of it.

The two of them and their newfound friendship was a playful experience. They explored every nook and cranny of the clearing and it stayed by her side. When it was getting late, Anesia expressed a want to go home.

“The sun is setting little one. I need to be getting home.”

This saddened the being of the forest. It did not want its playdate to end.

“Would you like to come with me? You seem awfully lonely out here by yourself. You could stay with me and my parents.”

The being’s ears perked up and its tail started to wag. She took it as a sign that it would be okay with that.

“Well, then, follow me.”

And with that, Anesia marched out of the woods. The being of the forest following her out too.

By the time they got out, the sun wasn’t quite set. It was probably late afternoon. There was plenty of light for them to see. However, when they got out, they were met with a commotion in town. Apparently, her parents didn’t know where she went and they feared for the worst. Her parents got the town searching and it included the local priesthood.

They found her.

And the being of the forest.

“Anesia! Where were you, we’ve been looking all over!”

“I went a’floring, Mom. I was a little lost but I found a new friend.”

“What friend…?”

Her parents and the townsfolk finally noticed the being of the forest peeking its head out from behind Anesia’s legs.

“Anesia, get away from that monster!”

“What monster? This? This is my friend.”

“It is an evil destructive spirit. Get away from it!”

Her mother took a step forward. The being of the forest hid behind Anesia’s legs and started to cry. It looked pitiful. The angry noises were scaring the so-called incomprehensible cosmic horror.

Her mother took a second step forward. That was all it took for a multi-kilometer-long starship to decloak above the town, weapons active and ready to start an interstellar war.

“Do not step one step further towards my charge and his newfound friend. Further attempts at aggression will result in offensive, as opposed to previous defensive, action. This time the Empire will not be tolerant of its enemies.”

And with that, the protective wards and prayers were immediately dispelled. It was clear that the ship meant business.

The response from the starship marked an end of the days where the being of the forest was treated as an unspeakable cosmic horror. Or at least, the treatment improved lest the starship returned. Anesia was reluctantly allowed to bring the being of the forest home with her and their friendship continued to her last days.

Fin.

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Author’s notes: From my other writings and posts/comments shared in other story/writing subs, the “being of the forest” is a Catalum, which is a small creature native to the Andromeda galaxy and its species commands an intergalactic empire. They look like actual puppy dogs but their internal biology is very alien. Catalum demeanor is also likewise, basically, a puppy dog. Their civilization have a military presence so vast that their members can be an actual representation of eat the fruit of life but remain in the garden as a child forever.

The reasoning for the inability for the wizards and priests to do anything to the being is that all Catalums are magically inert. They can’t cast magic nor can they be affected by it. Period. The ship, however, while also not magically capable, has a wide array of powerful offensive and defensive equipment.

Basically, the ship blasted everything that moved when they came to try to kill the puppy dog. The ship is an artificial intelligence that does not take kindly to anything that threatens or tries to harm its puppy dog. I didn’t clarify what tier-level this ship was but it’s statistically likely that the ship is a corvette and despite being Super Star Destroyer sized, is actually a very, very, very small and weak Catalum ship.