The Rise and Fall of the Cat Vampire
If you had to choose between virtue and loyalty, would you bite the hand that feeds you?
Perkins the labrador is the personal valet of Whiskershire the cat-vampire king. Raised in court, his political acumen surpasses that of the king himself. The king, Whiskershire, occupied with his thirst for blood, hunger for power, and the felines in his court, has no time for trivial matters such as the public good. In a kingdom depleted by the king’s egocentricities, mysterious forces conspire to organize a coup d’état. With rebellion knocking on the door, Perkins must decide: betray his king and save the kingdom, or betray his own kind and remain loyal to his lifelong master.
1) Story Statement:
In this 18th century fable, an undervalued labrador valet must choose between virtue and loyalty and decide whether to do right by his own kind or fulfill his duty toward his lifelong, tyrannical, cat-vampire master.
2) Antagonist:
This book is largely written from the POV of both Perkins and Whiskershire. For that reason, and due to my personal belief that there is no ultimate evil in most individuals—only distorted perspective and projected wounds—Whiskershire is portrayed as both an antagonist and protagonist. He’s the villain in many characters’ stories, yet he’s the hero in others, especially Perkins.
To make up for that, I’ve also introduced another antagonist opposing Whiskershire, a mysterious force that drives the rebellion against his rule.
a) Whiskershire is a cat-vampire king that governs the kingdom of Whiskeria. Across the river lies the kingdom of Westriver with which Whiskershire signed a treaty cat centuries ago. The treaty demanded that Westriver supply harvest, and rabbits for Whiskeria’s special and quotidian needs. In return, Whiskeshire vowed not to wage war or harm the citizens of Westriver. Tension rises between the two countries when the treaty is broken and the cat-vampire king is the only suspect.
While the king is busy chasing his new love interest, rebellion brews in the horizon. Pressured by the imminence of his doom and the ultimatums of an impatient feline, Whiskershire must choose between mortal love and infinite power.
b) A mysterious character is organizing a coup d’état. Driven by ambition, the character turns key players in the story against one another, stirring a rebellion and sparking a war, leading to the ultimate fall of Whiskeria. The puppet master is revealed in the third act.
3) Title:
Whiskershire: Cat Vampire
Chronicles of a Cat Vampire
The Rise and Fall of Whiskeria
The Cat Vampire King
4) Comparable:
This work was largely influenced by George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ and will appeal to lovers of the classic ‘Puss in Boots’ and Rita Mae Brown’s ‘Mrs. Murphy’ series due to their elements of mystery, whimsy, and politically-driven plot.
5) Core Wound:
Since both Perkins and Whiskershire are main characters, I will delve into the core wounds of each.
a) Perkins: A tyrant cat-vampire king forces his personal valet Perkins to reflect on the ambiguity of loyalty.
b) Whiskershire: An impending rebellion and illusive love interest force the tyrant, vampire king to choose between mortal love and unlimited power.
6) Deeper Levels of Conflict:
a) Perkins:
i) Triggered by the deteriorating living conditions of his hometown and a harsh accusation from a childhood best friend, Perkins begins to question his loyalty to the king he has served his entire life.
ii) Perkins is an underpaid and undervalued worker. He has no family or loved ones to comfort him. He works around the clock and barely sleeps to ensure the king’s affairs are in order during the day, and to be present as his personal valet at night. When the king forms a friendship with a knighted golden retriever, Perkins feels lonelier than ever. The reality of his own mortality sets in, and he wonders if he should dedicate his few remaining years in pursuit of something that rewards him for his dedication.
b) Whiskershire:
i) Whiskershire is notorious for acquiring the love of any feline he desires with a snap of his fingers. When he meets Perla Reeds, a reporter for the Cat Times, he is enchanted. Her elusive tactics drive him to possessive madness. He must have her at all costs. And the cost may be his kingdom.
ii) Whiskershire has a reality check after a séance the rat high priestess performs on him in her dilapidated shack. He realizes that his old ways were a cry for affection, and that in order to find the love he craves, he must first defeat the vampire within.
7) Settings:
a) Castle: grand, dark, and gothic, the castle is the setting where most the events of the story take place. It’s extravagant interior and exterior juxtapose the decrepit dog town on the kingdom’s northern border.
b) Westriver: a self-sufficient kingdom, Westriver lives in a utopian state where everyone’s needs are met and no one feels more superior to the other. The war with Whiskeria shifts the balance and poverty spreads like contagion.
c) The ancient forest: the land that houses both kingdoms as well as the Wild Country on the top of the mountain and the human world at the bottom.
