Chapter 1: Welcome Home, Moggy O'Brien

Far-away from civilisation is a planet with endless rolling hills of green. From the north to the south pole it has countless dales with trees scattered here and there. No sea, but many rapid rivers wiggling around natural paths bringing life to the quiet planet, a few giant lakes too. Interesting animals graze, making the hills their home, but no people to go about their business. There were no towns or shops, no society here at all, just untouched nature. Poking through the green were patches of many coloured rocks, greys, reds and browns as the minerals came to the surface. The weather was dull with many clouds in the sky, like it was always seconds away from a downpour. No artificial structures can be seen for miles, until you get to a curious cobblestone tower with a crooked roof, but it did not seem out of place. Its aged bricks made it feel as ancient as the land it stood on. The moss that grew around it further blended the tower into its surroundings, almost as it had grown there itself.

In front of the tower, standing looking up, was a cat wearing wizard robes with the iconic pointy hat. Moggy O'Brien, a sprightly 47 years of age, it was his turn to guard this tower and the whole planet, alone for a year. As such was the duty of a cat wizard. With just a couple of personal belongings in a battered old case, and a big key gripped tightly in his hand, he braced himself before opening the door to the tower. Despite being a simple wooden door, upon turning the key loud clunks sounded as an array of magical locks turned themselves before releasing the door slowly. He stepped inside, dragging his suitcase with him. Candles flickered alive, flooding the dark crypt with a warm light. It was damp inside and smelt like moss but also a bit coppery. There was a central staircase leading to two wings, a dusty red rug and a cloak stand perfect for a wizard's attire. He hung up his cloak and hat, revealing his striped fur, two shades of grey with a white patch on his chest and another around his nose. He pulled out the tattered piece of paper he was given before travelling to the planet. At the top it read “Tower Induction" and below there were a few short bullet points. 

• Your living space is on the 4th floor of the right wing, floors beyond that are out of bounds except the observatory, which can be accessed via the spiral staircase in the left wing.
• Make sure all doors are locked at all times.
• Farm more than you think you should.
• Remember, no one else lives here, ignore them (other than the lovely animals you'll be sure to get to know soon).
• Avoid being outside on the full moons (there's three, they're quite lovely, remember that aforementioned observatory?)

It was signed by the grand wizard of the wizard council, the very wizard council that a seat was promised to our hero, assuming he survives this year. Sighing, Moggy O'Brien proceeded to heave his suitcase up the stairs to what will be his living space for the next year of his life. Having stopped a few times to wipe the sweat off his brow, he finally made it. He made a mental note he ought to spend some of the time here working out, wizards too often forget to keep their physical body healthy, too busy expanding their knowledge of magic. The living space was decent, a fairly large living room, sofa, dining table, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, even a king size bed. He was chuffed as he had been dreading it was going to be a cold concrete slab to sleep on and a hole in the floor rather than a litter box. On the dining table was a wooden crate, inside there were supplies, tea, herbs, spices, two loaves of bread, a single bar of chocolate covered nougat and wizards favourite food; Cup Noodle. He wondered to himself how long he was expected to make these luxuries last. He vaguely remembers one of the elders mentioning supply drops being regular, assuming they remember. He grabbed a tea bag and cast a spell lighting a fire under the iron kettle in the middle of the room, with a little flick of his wrist it filled with water before starting to boil. Most basic magic he could command with his paws, but the intense stuff required focusing using a staff or wand. He poured the boiling water over the tea bag with precision, added some milk and a single cube of sugar. He gripped the handle and gazed out of the window, the sun was starting to set though he could see for miles. The hills enveloped the space around the tower, never too steep but vast in their width, they seemed easy to climb to naive first timers but that was misleading. Moggy O'Brien relaxed at the beautiful sight then his whiskers twitched suddenly as a feeling of dread at the bottom of his heart befell him. The sight was wonderful, but the bleakness couldn't be denied. It was going to be a tough year he thought to himself. Meditation and lone soul searching was not uncommon for wizards in their quest for enlightenment but equal were the times spent in the tavern with friends and hearing the tales of the older wizards and their adventures. He fell into a bit of a trance whilst observing this strange yet familiar world but, when he came through his tea had gone cold and the sun had set. He blinked a few times then looked up at the twin crescent moons shining silver, reminding him of his mothers eyes when she got angry or scared. He yawned, stretched and swigged his cold tea before sitting down to read “Farming Essentials" since he knew that was going to take up a lot of his time here on this lonely planet.

First published in my webzine!