A long time ago...

Ocelot was raised in a small fishing village somewhere north of Gavelwharf. While his father was among the best fishermen in the tribe and everyone thought someday Ocelot would follow, he much preferred to stay on solid ground. He'd instead spend his free afternoons with a good book or took a walk along the beach in search of sea life or "treasure" that frequently washed ashore. Fishing trips commonly lasted days on end and his father told many a story of the storms he'd braved and monsters he'd faced so Ocelot never worried much whenever he departed on another trip to feed the village.
 
 
One warm and calm morning Ocelot was returning from an early stroll along the coast when he passed the boats loading up as usual. He caught sight of his father helping with nets and waved to him on his way past the lone pier that stretched away from the town. He met his eyes and thought he caught something that resembled concern but he blinked and his fathers face had turned into a half smile as he waved back. Ocelot felt the same thing he always felt when he watched them set sail. The sharp sting of guilt. He knew his father wished he'd accompany him on the many outings he and the other hard-working members of the village went on. Learn how to work well with others, pick up a skill or two, and maybe "put some meat on those bones" as he always said. "Next time" he thought. Next time he would, just not today. So he continued back home to eat some lunch and finish chores, not thinking too much more on it.
 
That night rain set in. Water droplets from the sky didn't bother him so much as ungodly amounts that could be hiding anything underneath the surface or could end your life in mere moments when you're not the best at swimming. One thing was for sure. Rain was the absolute best ambiance for sleep. That truth was soon realized as his dreams overtook him and he drifted off. The next morning it was still raining. He climbed out of bed and began his usual routine. The day played out like any other. Breakfast, books, chores, couple hours at a friends house, more reading, dinner, and then just like that it was time for bed. He was just about to sink into his blankets when a thought occurred to him. The rain hadn't stopped. "Really coming down isn't it?" he thought. It wasn't terribly concerning but it was still interesting. Sleep easily took him once again. The next morning... Rain. Another day flew past. The next day... Rain. This was starting to get annoying. He couldn't take walks while it was raining. He couldn't have a nap under a tree while it was raining. He couldn't enjoy the warm sun on his fur while it was raining. It was terrible and he was starting to worry about the men at sea. If it was this bad here he couldn't imagine what they had to endure through. They were expected back at the end of the week. Surely they were fine he told himself.
 
Three more days past. Tabaxi were waiting eagerly under any cover they could find close enough to view the pier. Family members of the brave people who ventured out to sea usually awaited the safe return of the boats as to greet them as soon as possible on the due return date. As midday approached worry start to spread. No sign of ships were seen as the hours crawled by. Ships had been late in the past but not accompanied by this much heavy rain. Things were bad enough but as the afternoon approached they turned strange. The dark storm clouds had started to turn a shade of purple and in the very far off distance lightning could be made out at sea. Not everyone noticed but as those who were too cold to wait a minute longer turned towards their homes with heads and hearts heavy, a mist started to spread at the very edge of the horizon. As the day went on more Tabaxi sought refuge from the rain, the clouds morphed into different stages of violet, and the mist crept closer to shore. Ocelot all the while had seen these changes happen but had no idea what to think. These things weren't exactly impossible but he'd never seen anything like them. He just desperately wished he knew whether or not his father and the others were safe. He didn't have to wait but another hour or so before he got an answer. As the mist finally caught up to the shore, something could be made out in the first thick wave that hit the beach. The realization of what that figure was hit him like a club. The shredded and splintered remains of a single barely afloat fishing boat softly bumped into the pier.
 
Ocelot rushed down the pier as shouts started behind him, some telling him to come back, some alerting others from their homes about what had just happened. He didn't care what else the mist might've brought with it or that the storm seemed to have grown stronger and the lightning had finally reached them, he just needed to know if there were any survivors. As he approached the shipwreck he was met with many gruesome and confusing details that didn't reassure him in the slightest. Blood. Blood everywhere. Not all of it was red however which Ocelot didn't know was a good or even worse thing. Huge chunks looked as if they had been ripped free by scarily big teeth and there were... scorch marks? He stood there as emotions rushed him. Why hadn't he just gone this time? If he had, would he have been killed as well? No, they're not dead, he thought. The boats weren't warships by any means but they had defences. He'd seen firsthand awhile back just what the men of the village were capable of with just a couple spears and harpoon guns when some unlucky marauders mistook the villages shabby looking huts as easy pickings and were swiftly dealt with a couple moons ago. Additionally, Silent Page, an older Tabaxi that lived at the edge of the village had joined them on this particular outing. He mostly kept to himself but everyone knew that he possessed magic to a degree. What did they meet out there that could've done this? Why were there no bodies? A flash of lightning fairly close brought him back to the pier and he realized that evidently there was nothing he could do. He felt scared and even worse completely empty. He turned and started his way through the crowd that had gathered behind him when he heard something and froze. The dock was starting to slightly shake and a low moaning had started far out at sea. Everyone went quiet and then started to inch towards land as the pier shook harder and the moaning became louder. In the distance they could make out a sizable ripple in the roaring waters racing straight at them. The wave transformed into a large gaping mouth and wasn't slowing as it got closer and closer to land. Everyone pushed against one another as they raced off the wooden dock, shouts filling the air. The last foot hit sand just as the massive mouth-like wave crashed down on the wooden structure, destroying it completely and sending debris everywhere. Suddenly a thunderous roar sounded from far off in the distance and a final flash of lightning illuminated a ginormous figure way off through the mist and then... silence.
 
The waters settled, the mist departed, the clouds dispersed, and a final layer of rain drenched the now very scared group of cats that remained and just as strangely as the weather had appeared, it vanished without a trace. They stood there frightened and cold with not a clue as to what they would do now. What could they do? With the fishermen gone, the pier destroyed, and no other reliable source of food or trade for the village, it seemed like all was lost. On top of that, they had no clue if the nightmarish monster that had just destroyed their way of life and may have cut the life of their loved ones short would return. In just a day their entire world had been changed. That night they gathered and decided it was too risky to stay so they decided that first thing in the morning they would pack and head out to neighboring towns. At first light preparations began but Ocelot hadn't slept a wink. He replayed what he'd seen over and over in his mind and couldn't shake the feeling that he might've been able to help in some way if he'd only manned up and helped out once in awhile. There was nothing he could do now... or was there? Something felt off about the whole thing. There were no bodies so who was to say they were really gone for good? He thought about how he would go about searching for them. Going off on his own would be suicide and he didn't exactly know how to sail a ship. Not to mention he didn't posses many survival skills that a task like that would require. Something popped into his mind. The village had never experienced something this huge but whenever a child went missing or a boat needed repairs there was one man that could usually help out. Ocelot left his hut a couple hours before departure time and headed towards Silent Page's hut.
 
When he arrived he looked up and down the path and when he knew no one would be looking he grabbed a sizable rock and started to pull back his arm, aiming it at the window. He thought about what he was about to do but decided it was for the greater good. Just before he threw the stone he stopped. Surely this would draw attention he thought and so he instead just simply tried the door at first. Locked of course but still there had to be a way besides smashing the window. An idea struck him. He'd read about lockpicking but had never attempted it himself but if now wasn't the time then when? He unsheathed a claw on each hand and carefully stuck them in the lock. Remembering the instructions as best he could he stumbled through one, two, three, and then finally the fourth and final click. The door creaked open. He hurried inside and pushed the door gently shut behind him. Inside was a medium sized room filled to the brim with books. Anyone that doubted Silent Page practiced magic would have no way to deny it after seeing the insides of his abode. There were books on books lining shelves on shelves along with scrolls and ink on any and every flat surface. Where to start he thought. He started flipping through books and pamphlets and scrolls and slips of paper and letters and anything that might give him any start into some sort of basic form of magic that might be able to help him. He needed first off, something that might help him track them down. Second off, something powerful that could help him defeat the beast that lurked out there if it returned. Thirdly he'd need... CRASH! His fur stood on end. Something had just broke in the adjacent room. His instincts were to run but if he couldn't even face whatever lurked in an old mans home then how was he to eventually face down a monster the size of a mountain? He grabbed the largest book he could carry and steadied it above his head ready to slam it down on the first sign of danger that lay on the other side of the door. He burst through the door and scanned the room hastily. Nothing was inherently scary but what did trouble him was the shattered glass terrarium that now lay on the floor in pieces. Something had definitely just occupied this cage but now it was gone. As he looked for the escapee he heard a strange noise behind a stack of books to his left. He readied his book again and shoved the books aside and found... nothing. Behind him across the room he heard scuttling and a bottle fell off the shelf and smashed to the floor same as the glass cage. He dashed over to it and pushed the remaining bottles aside but nothing lay behind them. Out in the main room a vase full of parchment fell over with a thud. This was starting to become more annoying than scary. As he entered the original room he noticed a couple things had been knocked over and the noise was still coming from different corners of the room at different times. He set down his book and closed his eyes trying to isolate the noise. In front of him, then to his left, then to his right, then behind him.